


The Beauty And The Ghost King - A PJO & Disney Crossover

by MelChan1003



Category: Disney's Beauty and the Beast - Fandom, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Beauty and the Beast, Comfort, Friendship, Love, M/M, Magic, Nicercy - Freeform, Percico - Freeform, Pipabeth - Freeform, Trust, crossover??, no disney characters, valgrace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-03-21
Packaged: 2018-03-13 06:43:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 96,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3371636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelChan1003/pseuds/MelChan1003
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy is just a normal guy from a small town, living with his mother and his step-dad, leading a normal life, though always dreaming of adventures.<br/>But then his step-dad gets in trouble and suddenly, Percy finds himself in an enchanted castle with ghostly staff and a master that seems as cold and heartless as the stone walls around him...or not?<br/>Male/Male! Don't like, don't read! Rated M for a reason! You've been warned!<br/>This is sorta a crossover, but there are no Disney characters in this story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**The Beauty and the Ghost King**   
_1001 Percico Dreams_

* * *

**Prologue**

Once upon a time there was a young prince in a big and beautiful castle. His name was Nico di Angelo.

He was a happy, cheerful child with a bright future ahead of him, loved by everyone in and around the castle.

But then everything changed.

His mother, a tender and beautiful woman, fell ill after getting caught in a horrible storm and soon passed away, even though everybody tried their best to save her.

Suffering deeply from the loss, their father, the king, left the castle and his two children behind to fend for themselves, setting out on a journey to never return.

Nico and his older sister Bianca tried to make the best of it, leaving their childhood behind them to take responsibility of the castle and the staff to take care of the kingdom by themselves.

But again, the Fates had something different in mind.

When he was only thirteen, his sister was killed by bandits in the forest on her way back from the city.

Left by himself, but much more mature for his age, he tried his best to keep going, to keep everybody happy and safe.

But as the years passed, Nico became bitter.

Very bitter.

Having lost his mother and his sister, with his father just leaving them behind like that, he began to resent the man, as well as the rest of humanity.

The once so cheerful child became a dark and brooding man, cold and calculating.

The once so bright castle became gloomy and sinister and the people that used to come here every day to celebrate and be merry were now scared of the castle and the master.

The visits stopped and most of the older staff left, leaving behind only a few servants who believed in the good in Nico, even with his coldhearted behavior.

Then, one day, the goddess of magic, Hecate, came along, visiting the castle in the form of an old woman.

She asked for entry, a place to stay the night, but the prince was too bitter to permit outsiders into his castle.

He hated strangers, hated people, hated people in his home.

So Nico sent her away.

Hecate asked him to rethink his decision, offering him a beautiful white rose, but Nico was as stubborn as they came and couldn't care less about flowers, resenting their beauty, so he sent her away again, uncaring for her scorn.

That's when Hecate showed her true form, turning into a beautiful young lady and radiating power.

The prince was horrorstruck.

As she threatened to destroy the castle and everyone who lived in it as payment for his disrespect, he fell to his knees, begging for mercy.

This castle was all he had left!

Hecate saw that there was still hope for the young prince, a chance that his bitterness and hatred would not tarnish him forever.

So she decided to change her punishment, cursing Nico to stay in these walls forever until there would be a person to love him the way he was, who could melt his frozen heart.

She changed the castle, turning the white marble to black, the angel figures to demons and the servants became mere ghosts, their bodies taken from them until the curse was lifted.

And she gave Nico a flower – the white rose she had offered him before, only it had turned pitch black now.

It was a magical flower, symbolizing his curse.

When the last petal fell, the curse would be eternal, the prince forever lost in the darkness, his staff forever undead.

For years, the staff waited for somebody – anybody – to come to the castle and break the curse.

But the surrounding cities stayed away from the cursed, dark place, talking about a haunted mansion and ghosts spooking the place.

The prince shut himself in his room, bitter and hopeless, for who could love somebody like him?

He would gaze at the flower day in day out, the falling petals only manifesting his belief and sending him further and further into the darkness.

Because there was no way anybody could ever save him from himself.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 01**

"Another day in paradise, huh?" Percy muttered, looking over the beautiful meadow in front of the little hut he lived in with his mother Sally and his step-dad Paul.  
They were a happy little family in a happy little town in a happy little kingdom.

Splendid.

And Percy was not so happy, not so little, but therefore terribly bored.  
He sighed and grabbed his jacket, slipped into his shoes and grabbed his sword – a really old beginner's sword out of worn out iron that he got years ago and still cherished since it was the only weapon he owned.  
Then he left the hut and made his way to town, hoping Chiron would train him for a while again.

Chiron was this really old guy who used to train knights most of his life.

At least, that's what he told everybody who bothered asking – in order words, Percy.  
The other people in town generally ignored him and whenever Percy told anybody else about all the heroes and knights Chiron had trained, they laughed at him and told him the old man was a fool and a liar.  
Not very nice things to say, but Percy didn't think much of it.  
He believed Chiron.

The people of the town also called his parents names and they were the best people in the world.

Percy simply ignored all the negativity and stayed positive.  
Life was too short to hold grudges, after all.

Best enjoy every moment of it for as much as possible.

He strolled into the small town, waving at a couple of people, greeting others and winking at some girls who giggled.

"Percy? Why am I not surprised?" Chiron sighed as he opened the door to see Percy standing there, grinning sheepishly.

"I was wondering whether you could…"

"Whether I could train you some more? My dear boy, don't you have any hobbies?"

"Sword fighting IS my hobby, Mr. Chiron, sir. Please?" Percy practically begged.

He loved sword fighting. Nothing else made him feel more alive.  
This life here, it was nice and peaceful, yes. But Percy simply craved an adventure.  
He wanted to become a knight or traveler, fighting dragons or whatever came his way, make a stand and simply _be_ somebody.  
And whenever he trained, it felt as if he could finally breathe, finally be himself.

Chiron seemed hesitant for a moment.  
Percy put on his best puppy face. "Pretty, pretty please?" He pleaded.  
Chiron took one more look at him and chuckled. "You are one of a kind, Percy. Alright, let's go to the backyard, then."  
Percy had to hold back from doing a small victory dance.  
Chiron was the best teacher in the world.

It had been his idea to teach Percy how to wield a sword, after he had watched Percy battering self-created dummies with an oversized wooden stick that couldn't even pass for a club.

From that fateful day onwards, he had taught Percy basic combat and then the long-awaited sword fighting with a wooden sword from Chiron's arsenal.

Percy had been so thrilled and happy he had told his parents over and over how Chiron had told him he was getting better by the day and what talent he had.  
At some point, his step-dad Paul had given him that old iron sword, having bought it from a travelling merchant at a completely overpriced price.

That day must have been the best day of Percy's life.

He still remembered running from the hut to Chiron's house at an absolutely ungodly hour in the morning just to show him that sword.  
He also remembered Chiron's exhausted, but bemused face and the hours they had then spent training to get Percy used to the new feeling and weight.  
It was only recently that Chiron had stopped training him much, always saying he was too weak and tired and that Percy already knew everything, anyways.  
Percy wondered vaguely how old Chiron was. He practically looked ancient and the way he talked about the past always made it sound like a very, VERY long time ago.

He just hoped the old man would stick with him until he was a well-known hero so he could show Chiron his work had paid off.

.

Chiron made him fight off an invisible army of enemies, shouting commands and warnings and advice from his chair next to the door.  
Percy loved the rush of adrenaline surging through him.  
He hacked and slashed and stabbed, spinning around in half-circles and worked on his blocks, even if he didn't have any real enemies to battle him (or a partner in general).  
After what seemed like forever, Chiron called for a break.

"How was that?" Percy asked, panting heavily and bending over, placing his hands on his thighs and taking deep breaths.  
He loved the exercise.

Chiron chuckled. "You certainly have talent, my boy. But I fear you have learned all I can teach you."

"That's ok. I can simply keep training the moves I already know."

"As I am sure you will. I am certain you will continue to work hard and become what you thrive to be."

Percy's chest filled with pride as well as unease. This sounded a lot as if Chiron thought he wouldn't be there when that time came.

Chiron got up and walked to his door. He was a lot slower nowadays, his legs barely supporting him anymore, but Percy knew better than to offer his help.  
Chiron was quite proud and stubborn.

"Thank you, sir. I will give my best to become somebody you can be proud to have trained."

Chiron chuckled and looked over his shoulder at Percy. "I already am proud, Percy. Wait here for a moment, ok? I've got something for you."  
Percy blinked surprised. Chiron had something for him?  
He watched the old man disappear inside and felt his insides fill with anticipation.  
He was a sucker for gifts and surprises.

This was the first time that Chiron gave something to him.  
Somehow, that made it even more special.

Percy waited impatiently, looking around Chiron's backyard.  
There was the chunk of wood that Chiron had gotten the day they had begun training, but that was now a shadow of its former self, much to Percy's satisfaction (he had been the one hacking away at that thing day in day out for the past years).

He fingered the hilt of his sword.  
He wished there was another person like him around here somewhere.  
Somebody he could train with, other than Chiron.

Maybe more his age.

Of course, he had lots of friends.  
But none of them shared his interests.  
He had had high hopes for Luke, but he was more interested in hunting than heroism.

Blah. What was so great about killing innocent animals?  
Percy couldn't understand that.

Then again, he couldn't understand Luke much, either.  
The blonde and him used to be pretty good friends, but nowadays Luke got way too pushy, trying to get Percy to stop 'playing with his toothpick' and go out with him instead.

Yeah, right.

So not going to happen.

If he went out with Luke, the blonde would probably _propose_ to him next, asking him to be his merry little wife to do the household for him, while he went out and slaughtered more innocent animals to plaster his walls with.

Nope. No. Not. Ever.

Percy sighed and looked around as he heard Chiron on the other side of the door.  
Then the old man came back into view, a long parcel in his arms.

"Here, son. I have been wondering who would have the honor of receiving this when the time was right. And when I met you, happily slaughtering dummies with a stick, I knew it would be you. And now, you are ready." Chiron said, a proud gleam in his eyes as he gave him the parcel.

It was heavy.  
Long, slim and heavy.

Percy's heart was thumping loudly in his chest.

This couldn't be…could it?

"Thank you, sir." He said awed, running his finger up and down the dark wrapping wistfully.

Chiron chuckled. "You may open it."

Percy didn't hesitate a moment longer.  
He tried half-heartedly to be gentle and careful and not tear the wrapping – then it still tore and he stopped holding back, tearing it apart to get to the inside.

"Holy-…that is…this is…" He said, euphoric and unbelieving at the same time.

Chiron laughed and took the sword from him.

It was a big, _real_ sword, out of bronze, with the most beautiful hilt Percy had ever seen.  
And it fit his hand perfectly.

Chiron couldn't possible give _him_ such a sword!  
This was a sword worthy of…of knights, high knights, hell, this sword was worthy of…

"This used to belong to kings and princes, handed down from generation to generation. One of my heroes has brought it back for me to keepsake and I promised I would pass it on to a person worthy of it." Chiron explained and Percy gaped at him.

"Kings and princes? Worthy…me?" He breathed, disbelief clearly showing on his face.

Chiron nodded and gave him the sword hilt-first. "I believe it is a perfect fit."

Percy took the sword delicately. It was heavier, much heavier than his iron sword, but it just felt so _right_.

He felt all giddy and looked up at Chiron with big, sea-green eyes. "Thank you." He breathed again.

Chiron chuckled and put his hand on Percy's shoulder. "You deserve it, Percy. I haven't seen a kid that talented and strong-willed for many years. Truth be told, I have only met two others like you. And I am certain you have what it takes to even outdo those two."

So much praise.  
Percy felt the heat rise in his face and Chiron squeezed his shoulder for a moment.  
Then he stepped back. "So, up for a bit more training to get you used to the new sword?"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

.

As Percy trudged home on wobbly legs, he felt oddly proud of himself – and still giddy as hell.  
He had his own sword! A real sword!  
Of course, he still carried his old iron sword because it was a gift from his step-dad, but this was amazing!

And so beautiful!

He grinned from ear to ear, nodding towards a couple of acquaintances of his parents in greeting.  
He knew they'd talk about him being all sweaty and gruesome, but he didn't mind.  
Neither did his parents, for that matter.

"Hello there, beautiful." A voice sounded behind him and he inwardly groaned.

Not now.  
He turned around, forcing a smile on his now rather miserable face as he saw the blonde striding towards him.

"Hello Luke."

"What have you been up to? Oh my, don't tell me you've been 'training' again."

Percy made a face, clutching his new sword tighter.

"I was. And it was great. Chiron said I have talent as he hasn't seen in years. Really, I wish you wouldn't be so prejudiced and give it a try. I could show you the ropes and we could-…"

"Percy, sweetheart, don't bother. You know what I think of swordplay. If you truly want to do something useful, why don't you go hunt with me? I am sure you'd do great. And I could teach you how to clean my kills."

Yeah, because Percy so wanted to be the one doing all the dirty work like the good little housewife Luke wanted.

"No thanks. I prefer my swordplay, thank you very much."

"Oh, why do you have to be so stubborn? You could just say yes for once. I know you want to play hard to get, but I might soon not bother asking you out anymore, sweetest. And then, who'll have you?"

That was so very comforting.  
Percy turned his head away and rolled his eyes so Luke couldn't see. "I am simply not interested, sorry."

"Oh come on, Percy."

But Percy had already escaped to one of his alternate routes home and hurried around the next corner, down the alley and into another one to prevent Luke from spotting him again.  
He hurried across the meadow to the hut, petting some of the sheep and pigs on the way that they owned.  
This was why he wasn't a hunter.  
Who could harm these innocent little cuties?

Instead of going into the hut, he made his way around it to the back to rinse himself off with the collected rainwater.  
His parents were ok with him training until he was a sweaty mess, but he didn't want to push it.  
When Percy finally got inside and into a set of clean clothes, he heard his step-dad come in.

"Percy? Are you home?"

Percy's face lit up and he grabbed his new sword, rushing out of his room. "Dad! Dad, look what Chiron gave me!" He exclaimed, thrusting the bronze weapon in Paul's hands.  
The man looked a bit overrun for a moment, blinking in confusion, but then he smiled and eyed the weapon curiously.

"Wow, is this Celestial Bronze? What splendid craftsmanship. Chiron gave you this?"

"Yes! He said it used to be owned by kings and princes! And that I am the one he deems worthy to wield it. Can you believe it?"

Paul smiled gently at him, passing the sword back to him. "Yes, I do. You are our little prince, after all. And I have some good news as well."

Percy put the sword back at his makeshift belt and beamed at him. "You got the job?"

Paul had been applying for a spot as a teacher in a nearby city. Ever since the small school had closed down, Paul had been looking for a job, but without success.  
Professors weren't really needed when there was no school to teach in and no money to pay for the tuition.  
Percy's mother Sally helped out in the bakery of a friend of the family.  
It was unusual for women to work when their men were working, but Sally didn't care.  
They needed the money for their sheep and pigs and Percy's horse, Blackjack.

Percy loved his horse.  
Blackjack had been his birthday and Christmas gift in one three years ago and ever since the two had laid eyes on each other they were a team.  
Sometimes Percy even felt as if he could understand what Blackjack was thinking or acted as if Blackjack actually talked whenever he neighed.

Another reason why the people in the town thought him and his family crazy, but meh.

"Yes, I got the job."

"That's great! Does mum know already?"

"I intend to tell her tonight when she comes home from work."

"She'll be delighted. When will you be leaving?"

"Tonight, actually. I wish to get there by tomorrow morning and it's quite some distance to cover."

"Really? That soon? Will you take Blackjack?"

"I was hoping you'd lend him to me. I'm sure I can get a carriage in the future, but this was on fairly short notice as you see."

"Of course. He'll love the exercise. Staying in the stable and occasionally walking across the meadow is making him all edgy and annoyed."

"Then I'll make sure to spur him a bit to make sure he gets all the exercise he needs."

"Please do. I'll go tell him."

Paul laughed. He never called Percy weird or crazy, and Percy was by now fairly sure his unusualness was more of an amusement to his step-dad.

"You do that. Feed the chicken while you're at it. And get the sheep in, will you?" Paul called after him, but Percy only waved and swung the door shut.

This was great.  
He had a sword – a real prince's sword – and his dad got a new job and Blackjack would get some exercise.

Could it get any better?

.

He first fed the chicken, then urged the sheep back into their stable for the night before making his way to Blackjack who immediately whinnied a greeting.

"Hey there, boss." Percy translated grinning and patted the horse's neck.

"Hey, Blackjack. I told you to stop calling me boss." He chided and stroke through the black mane before pulling out a donut (Blackjack's secret favorite) and feeding it to his mighty stallion.

Blackjack made a small snickering noise.

"Dad will take you for a long ride tonight. You got to take him over to the next town. Think you can do that?"

The horse whinnied and nudged him for another donut.

Percy chuckled and pulled out another one from the small bag. "This is the last one."

It wasn't, but he liked to believe Blackjack could be fooled.

But somehow, Blackjack had an additional donut-sensing-sense.  
It was one of the reasons Percy had to help out at the bakery occasionally as well.  
Donuts weren't common here, so they cost a fortune.

Expensive horse.

Another donut (the truly last one for the night) and some more one-sided talking later Percy made his way back to the house and helped his step-dad with dinner (another 'unusual' thing that got the neighbors talking: a _man_ making dinner while the _woman_ worked. Percy really didn't understand people's problems sometimes. Did they have nothing better to do?).

When his mum finally came home, he showed off his new possession (he decided to name the sword Riptide because it sounded cool and he didn't want to refer to it as 'a sword' anymore), then gave the two adults some time and space to discuss the matter with the job.

Sally was overjoyed at the news, mainly because her job would never suffice to pay off all the food for the animals and them.  
If Paul hadn't managed to get a job, Percy would have had to get a full-time job somewhere, and that usually involved hard work on the fields for shitty money or move to a different city, leaving his family behind and only sending money back home.

Or marry someone with lots of money.  
Percy made a face, lying in his bed and gazing up at the ceiling.  
He couldn't understand how anybody would ever marry without love.

He understood it would be especially difficult for him to find somebody he could be with – what with him liking guys – but he would rather stay single and search forever than marry somebody like Luke just because he happened to like guys, too.

He knew Luke was wildly popular with both the boys and the girls.  
They all loved him.  
He was strong and manly and handsome.

And yes, Percy was fascinated by that blonde hair and those blue eyes and the scar did add some sort of sex appeal to him, making him look wild and untamed.

But what people seemed to forget was that it wasn't all just about looks.  
Luke could be the best friend in the universe in one moment – and betray you in the next.  
He was stubborn and moody and it was either his way or none at all.  
He was also pushy and never knew when to stop.

Not to mention he thought he was the best bet anywhere and could have whomever he wanted.

Then again, he probably could have anyone anywhere in any way he wanted.  
That was probably one of the main reasons why Percy didn't want to date him, too.  
Luke knew he could have anybody.  
He just wanted Percy because Percy didn't give him what he wanted in the blink of an eye.  
As soon as he had Percy, he'd stray. Because Luke would never be satisfied with just Percy.

Plus, they weren't compatible in any way.

Luke wanted somebody to watch after the house and treat him like a king, worshipping him for killing innocent beings and plastering his walls with them.  
Percy wanted his freedom and somebody to train with, who he could be himself with and maybe discover the world together, go on quests together – pretty much save the world.

Adventures.

That's what Percy wanted.

Lots and lots of adventures with a person he could be himself with and not be looked at weird.

A partner.

A soulmate.

Yes.

But Luke...Luke was Luke. He would never leave this town.  
He would never stop hunting.

Percy heard an odd sound from his window and looked around, his hand immediately going towards his new sword, resting next to him in bed (he was pathetic, but he didn't want to lose it or have it stolen – one never knew).  
Another thudding sound from the window and he knew somebody was knocking on it.

Paul had already left on Blackjack and Percy liked to think Blackjack had said 'See you later, boss' when he had whinnied before trotting off.  
His mum was already in bed, having had a tough day of work.

Percy got out of bed and walked over to the small window swiftly, looking outside.

Speak of the devil.

He cracked the window open, not daring to open it.

"Luke? What are you doing here?" He hissed quietly at the blonde who grinned at him winningly. Maybe he should have just went straight back to sleep.

"I needed to see you, sweetheart." Luke whispered, winking.

"I am NOT your sweetheart. I want to sleep." He should have definitely gone back to sleep.

"How about I join you?"

Percy blinked, rendered speechless for a moment.  
The indecency! How many people had Luke asked that?

And how many had said yes?

"No. Go home, Luke."

"Aw, come on, Percy, I was only joking. I actually came here because I have something very important to ask you."

"Can't that wait until tomorrow?"

"Percy, could you come outside?"

Not a good idea. "I can hear you just fine from here."

"Oh, come on. Well, fine. Here's the thing. Percy, I know things aren't always rosy between us, and I understand you sometimes feel like you aren't worthy of me."

Percy said nothing, trying to keep his face muscles in check not to look too incredulous.

"But I want you to know that it's ok. In a matter of fact, I like you, Percy. I really do. And I think if we work on this, we would be great together."

So, in other words, Luke wanted Percy to change and be the perfect little housewife for him.

"What are you trying to say, exactly?" He asked, wondering what his mother would say if she saw Luke standing in front of Percy's window in the middle of the night, swearing his undying love to him, when Sally had told Percy that, earlier that day, Luke had been in the bakery with one of the miller's daughters.

She'd probably send the pigs after him.  
Maybe Percy should speak up a bit to wake her.  
Nah, she deserved her sleep.

"I love you, Percy. You are the most beautiful guy I have ever laid eyes on and I just have to have you. I can't live another day without you at my side. Will you...will you marry me?"

Wait, what?  
Undying love was one thing, but _marriage_?  
Percy had always thought Luke only wanted him to be his boyfriend, not actually _marry_ him.  
What was he supposed to do now?  
Of course he'd have to say no.

But Luke actually seemed sincere for once.  
And he would never give up if Percy didn't bring up a good argument.

A really, really good argument.

He stared at the blonde, noting how the moonlight made him look even taller and older, even more handsome.

"I'm sorry, Luke. But I can't."

"Whyever not? I know you like me, Percy. Everybody likes me."

And that's why Percy didn't want him.

Not that he needed a reminder.

"I'm simply not good enough for you. People would talk. 'Did you hear that this overly handsome and attractive Luke is settling for that weirdo Percy? You know, the one with the even weirder parents?'"

"Forget what they say. You can leave your parents. You'll move in with me anyways, and then people will soon forget about them."

Yeah, no. Not going to happen.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. It wouldn't be right. I think I can hear my mum. Sorry, Luke. I have to go. Good night." Percy said quickly and shut the window before Luke could say any more, then closed the curtains. He should have done this in the first place.

Annoyed and a bit flustered at actually being proposed to, Percy went back to bed, snuggling with Riptide (yes, he really was pathetic).

What a weird day.

But hey, at least he had Riptide now.  
And his father had a new job.

Life couldn't be better.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 02**

Paul clutched the bag with his few possessions tightly and held onto Blackjack's mane. He really should have gotten a bridle, but Percy always rode Blackjack without and by now Blackjack would probably rather trample him to death than get his head into one of those things.

He patted the black horse's strong neck. "Good boy, good boy." He muttered, though he was fairly certain that the horse neither understood nor cared.  
Paul did it more because he was rather anxious to get out of this forest.

Seriously, he knew riding at night was a creepy business, but this was beyond creepy.

He kept hearing rustling and saw movements out of the corner of his eyes, but whenever he looked around, there was nothing there.  
He concentrated on the path in front of him – just to realize it split.

Oh great.

Paul pulled out the map he had in his bag and opened it hastily, trying to make out the drawing on it.

"Hold up, Blackjack, I need to check this." He muttered and the horse actually obeyed, coming to a halt.

What a smart horse.  
Paul could completely understand why Percy sometimes thought Blackjack could understand them.

The kid really was something.  
Paul knew he was going to go far in life.

But right now, he had more important things to do than thinking of his boy's future.

He liked to think of Percy as his own son, even though he wasn't.  
To Paul, he couldn't have a better son, though. And Percy called him dad, so that was good enough for him.

He studied the map intently, barely making anything out in the dark.

"I think we have to take a right here."

The horse whinnied and Paul looked at the two paths again.

"Or is it a left?"

Blackjack snorted and for a moment, Paul could almost picture Percy standing there, patting the horse's neck and translating 'What are you asking me for? I'm just a horse. You're the navigator'.

Yeah, because all that could be conveyed through one snort.

Paul looked back at the map, squinting. "Let's take a right. It got to lead us somewhere, right?"  
It sure was cold. Maybe they would get by an inn on the way where he could stay for a bit.  
That would be great, especially because now it even started to get foggy.

And Paul could swear there was something in those bushes.

He led the horse on, which seemed to get more agitated by the second, looking around now as well.

More rustling.

The horse shook its head and fell into a quicker trot, causing Paul to hold onto its mane tightly and gasp for breath. "Blackjack, what's wrong?"  
Now he definitely saw something move next to him in the bushes.  
The fog thickened.

Oh no, what if they were going to get attacked?

What lurked in these forests nowadays?  
Now it was him spurring on the horse, gripping his bag tightly and lowering his upper body closer to the horse.  
They rode through the forest in a quick trot, not daring to gallop because of the tree roots and bad sight.

There was rustling all around them now.

Then Blackjack whinnied and made a jump to the side, nearly tossing Paul off.

"Blackjack, what the-..." He started, but broke off as he realized a wolf had just jumped at them – and if Blackjack hadn't reacted in the moment he had, then Paul would not be sitting on its back anymore.

He had to tell Percy he loved this horse.

Paul spurred the black stallion on and now they _did_ gallop at top speed through the undergrowth, followed by a pack of at least a dozen wolves.

"Hurry, Blackjack, hurry!" He yelled frantically and looked around for some sort of shelter, help, anything.

Blackjack neighed loudly as if protesting that this was all his fault to begin with – it probably was – but Paul wasn't going to discuss this with the horse, especially not now.

Then a wolf was next to him and jumped, its razor-sharp teeth aiming for Paul's leg.

Blackjack pulled his rear up and his hind legs to the side, kicking the wolf straight in the chest and sending him flying, thus saving Paul's life for the second time.  
This left him unprotected on the left side, however, where another wolf tried to get to Blackjack.  
Paul acted on pure reflex and hit the wolf straight in the face with his bag full of books, making the wolf yelp in pain.  
Blackjack whinnied and for a moment, Paul could have sworn he had said something like 'Good job, boss'.

Yeah, he was definitely as mad as Percy.

Was that a good thing or a bad thing, though?  
If Paul survived this, he should seriously think about that.

He let Blackjack race onwards into any direction he wanted to, trusting the animal's instincts while readying himself to use his bag again.  
The wolves trailed them, trying to get to them but not daring to jump at them again out of fear of getting violated like the other two.

Then Blackjack suddenly neighed loudly and came to an abrupt stop, throwing Paul off unexpectedly.

"Blackjack!" He called in horror, but the horse reared up and kicked at the wolves, standing in front of Paul protectively, but the wolves were too many.

Next moment, the horse took off, head-butting one of the wolves out of the way as he did.  
And all Paul could do was stare after his son's horse as it took off into the unknown, followed by eleven hungry, mad wolves.

"Blackjack..." He breathed, unsure what to do now.

He should have never left at night. He should have just waited until the morning and then left.  
What did one day matter if it was at the cost of his life?  
He looked around himself and blinked surprised.

There was a gate.

A big, black iron gate, the size they used to have for castles.

Where the hell was he?

Paul grabbed his bag closer to his body, seeking something familiar in the unfamiliar surroundings.  
Just as he took a step towards the gate, he heard rustling.

The wolves.

"Oh no." He whimpered, glad nobody could hear him.

Then he took off towards the gate as fast as he could.  
Two wolves had apparently lost their interest in the horse.  
Hopefully Blackjack had gotten away, though.  
Paul ran for his life, hearing the predators inching closer behind him.

He was almost at the gate!

With enormous effort, he flung himself against the iron bars, feeling them giving way almost instantly and he fell onto the hard pavement.  
He heard a growl and what sounded like paws pushing off the earth hard for a big leap and acted instinctively, kicking at the gate with his legs.  
They swung shut with a loud THUNK.  
Next moment, he heard a loud yelp as something collided with it.  
He didn't look around, instead staring straight ahead at the sight in front of him.

A castle.

A real castle.

A black, dark, gloomy, eerily glistening castle.

A shiver ran down Paul's back as he pushed himself up, noticing his skinned knees and hands from the fall.  
The burning sensation spread through him and he winced, trying to rub off the dirt clinging to his open wounds.  
He'd have to get to a doctor first thing when he got to a town. It wouldn't do to let these wounds get infected.  
Paul stared up at the castle once more.

It sure was creepy.

But majestic all the same.

He wondered if there was anybody living here.  
Maybe he could wait here until the morning?  
Paul looked around and saw the wolves pacing in front of the gate, trying to find a way inside.

Then it started raining. Great. Just great.

He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering.  
There was no way he could go out there, and no way he could just stay here until those beasts gave up, especially with this rain.  
So he might as well give the castle a try.

He made his way to the front door, which was huge and out of what seemed to be black marble or something. Oddly shaped things were craved into it and there was what seemed to be a demon seated next to the door on a small pedestal.

Another shiver ran down Paul's back, but he swallowed hard and continued to the door, knocking on it tentatively with a demon-shaped knocker.

Eerie silence.

Paul tried again, just to be sure.  
Then he tried to push the door open.

To his great surprise, it worked.

Who would leave a door unlocked, no matter if the place was deserted or not?

But as he stuck his head inside, he frowned.  
It was definitely warm in there.  
Not like a deserted place at all.  
He looked back outside towards the gate, where the wolves now tried to push themselves through the gaps between the iron bars.

Not good.

Paul slipped inside, closing the door behind him and looking around.  
It was almost completely dark but for a chandelier on a nearby cupboard.  
Paul went towards it slowly, cautiously, wondering who – or what – resided in these walls.  
He took the chandelier and looked around himself.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" He called, his heart beating way too fast for his old age.

He wasn't even sure whether it was a good idea to announce his presence.  
What if there was something even worse than wolves living in here, just waiting to lure him further in to tear him to shreds?

Eww, not good thoughts.

Paul made his way through the empty, dark hallway towards a light glowing from beneath an almost-closed door.

"I was attacked by wolves and am looking for a place to spend the night." He called again, wondering if, maybe, whoever was living here would have the heart to offer him a blanket or at least something warm to drink.

For a moment, he stopped, listening.  
He could have sworn there had been some sort of quiet muttering, whispering.  
A sort of hissing of incoherent words.  
But it must have been his imagination.

"Hello?"

Again, there was that sort of whispering.  
Paul felt oddly watched and looked around himself again, pointing the chandelier into different directions.  
Then he sighed and turned to face the door again, when suddenly, a person appeared.

Appeared.

Like out of thin air.

"Hello, sir."

Paul almost had a heart attack, dropping the chandelier with a low shriek of terror and fell backwards, hitting the ground rather hard.

"What the-..." He cursed under his breath, grabbing for the chandelier again, but it was lifted by the strange person.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. Didn't mean to shock you."

"Leo, really, you almost gave the poor man a heart attack. Here sir, let me help you up." Another person just randomly _appeared_ out of thin air.

"Jason, stop making such a fuss, I was just trying to say hello."

"The older you get, the more troublesome you become. I said let's _not_ say hello to him. You know what _he_ thinks of strangers in the castle."

Paul was fairly sure they weren't talking about him right there.

He let the second person pull him up and winced, holding his lower back in pain.  
God, he surely wasn't the youngest anymore.

Warily, he eyed the two young men in front of him.  
They seemed roughly the same age as Percy, to be honest.

The first one that had freaked him out was a tad shorter, though, with an exotic, darker skin tone and a curly mop of brown hair. He also just randomly put his fingertips to the candles of the chandelier and, suddenly, they were lit again.

Creepy?

The other person was roughly the same height as Percy, maybe even taller, with tanned skin, short blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and a scar on his lip.  
He seemed to be miffed about something.

"Excuse me, sirs, I did not mean to disturb. I was attacked by wolves and my horse ran off, so I was hoping I could stay a few hours until dawn." He explained before the shorter – Leo, was his name, if he understood correctly – could retort.

The two looked around at him with pity and sympathy in their gazes.  
Then Leo looked pleadingly up at Jason. "Come on, he's just a poor old man who needs a bit of rest."  
Jason seemed uncertain about something, stepping from foot to foot and looking around him.

" _He_ won't like that, and you know it. It's not worth the risk. I would rather keep him here as well, but you know what happens when _he_ is in a bad mood."

"He doesn't have to find out. We will simply take this poor lad with us and sit him in front of the fire and at the first break of dawn he can leave on one of the horses in the stables and nobody would ever know."

Yes, that sounded perfect.

"I don't know...and you know very well that those horses can't leave the castle grounds, same as you and I can't."

"Bummer. Fine, but we can at least give him something to protect himself with."

Paul sneezed. Oh no, was he catching a cold now?  
Jason and Leo looked around at him again, worry in their gazes.

"Let's get him in front of the fire." Leo declared and grabbed Paul by the arm.

Paul blinked surprised, but followed nevertheless, catching a last worried glance from Jason, who didn't move, instead looking up the giant staircase uncertainly.  
Whoever their master was, he seemed to not like visitors.

Paul was worried, of course, but what was he to do?

Leo led him straight through the half-open door into a big, warm, well-lit room.  
There seemed to be nobody else there, which was weird.

Why would there be a well-lit room in the middle of the night when there was nobody here?

"Come on then, sir. Sit down. Make yourself comfortable. I'll call for tea."

"Tea? You can't give him tea." Jason instantly complained.

"Dude, chill. _He_ isn't going to find out."

"Are you mental? Of course he will find out. Do you have any idea how long it took me to get him to trust me again after that last stunt you pulled off? He only just began opening up to me again."

"Well, _sorry_ to disturb your bromance." Leo muttered sulkily and rang a little silver bell.

Next moment, a woman appeared out of nowhere.  
Paul would have yelped or at least jumped, but he had to sneeze again, so his reaction was lost in a loud ACHOO.

"Oh my. This isn't good." The lady said, eyeing him worriedly.

She was simply beautiful. Long, dark hair that seemed messy and cut up unevenly on purpose, with multicolored, kaleidoscope eyes and a slim figure, not to mention nice, dark skin.

"Finally, someone sees it the same way I do." Jason exclaimed, seemingly pleased.

"I'll go get you some tea. Hey Hazel, can you fetch some blankets?" She called and Jason's face fell.

"What? But Piper..."

"Jason, he's going to fall ill at this rate. What he needs is a warm tea, a warm blanket, and some rest. He could have fallen into shock or something, right out there in the middle of the storm and died from hypothermia. I for one am not going to send him back out there, just because Di Angelo is having a bad day." The girl – Piper – stated point-blank and gave Jason the evil eye.

Paul blinked at the lot.

"Are you...ghosts?" He asked, his mind only now comprehending the whole appearing-out-of-nowhere-thing.

They all looked around at him for a moment, their expressions reaching from amusement to worry to exasperation.

"What we are is difficult to explain, but, generally speaking, yes, we are something like ghosts." Piper said gently and smiled a dazzling smile at him.

Looking at her more closely, he realized he could see the wall behind her, which meant she was something like semi-transparent or something.  
This was so weird.

"So..."

"No more questions. The less you know, the better." Jason warned, throwing the others warning glances.

Leo rolled his eyes, but Piper only bit her lip and looked sideways.  
Then another girl appeared, carrying a big blanket and pushing a cart with a teapot and a cup towards him.

She was around the same age as well, but a lot shorter than the others, her skin the color of dark chocolate or a really good, strong coffee, her eyes a fierce gold – yet gentle, as if she'd seen much more than she should have, yet preserved her positive view. Her hair was a mess of wild, cinnamon brown curls.

She was adorable.

"Here you go, sir. Is there anything else I can do for you?" She asked sweetly, covering him in the big blanket and pouring him a cup of tea.

"Oh, no, thank you very much. All of you. I am sorry to impose on you like this. I ensure you I didn't intend for anything like this to happen. I only hope Blackjack got away from the wolves..."

"Blackjack?" Leo asked, frowning.

"My horse. Well, not exactly my horse. The horse of my son. Oh god, he will have my head if something happened to Blackjack."

"You have a son?" Piper asked, suddenly curious.

Paul wondered whether she was looking for a boyfriend.  
If so, she had bad cards with Percy. If Paul was seeing the signs correctly, his son wasn't really swinging that way – though he didn't really care. It was Percy's life, after all.

"Yes, a step-son. He's a very good boy. Spirited and occasionally a bit crazy, but that just makes him all the more special."

For a moment, there was silence.

The ghosts all shared an odd glance with each other, as if debating something in quiet.  
But before Paul could ask what was wrong, the moment was over.

"Well, anyways, he's got his tea, he's got a blanket. Let's have him warm up and then off he goes. I'm sure Frank will be able to chase the wolves away no problem for him." Jason said dismissively and walked towards the door, though his steps didn't even make the faintest sound.

"Really, Jason, you can't just kick him out. It's cold and raining outside." Piper complained.

"Oh my, sir, you're injured." Hazel suddenly exclaimed, taking Paul's hands and inspecting the open wounds.

Paul blinked at the odd touch. It was cold, but it was still there.  
He didn't know anything about ghosts, of course, but he had always thought they wouldn't be able to touch the living.  
It seemed he was wrong.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'll be fine. But if I'm that much trouble, maybe I really should leave."

Jason made a face. "It is not you, sir. It is simply..."

"The master of the house does not like strangers." Piper finished quietly.

"Or humans in general." Leo muttered under his breath (did ghosts breathe?).

Paul swallowed hard, suddenly not feeling well at all, even with the fire and the tea.

"But...your master...he is _human_ , right? Something like a ghost, like you?"

The four exchanges uneasy glances. "He _is_ human. Completely human. Not ghostly like us. But we are not entitled to talk about him." Hazel explained, but got shot down by Jason.  
"The less you know, the better for you." He said sharply and turned away again.

That's when the door slammed open.

Paul froze. As did the others.

"What is going on here?" A cold, quiet voice said and Paul could swear the temperature dropped a few degrees.

Hazel dropped the teapot she was still holding, causing it to shatter on the floor and spilling tea everywhere.  
Leo set the whole chandelier on fire somehow, causing the candles to melt down instantly.  
Piper sucked in a deep breath, her eyes flickering over to Paul horrified for a second before fixing themselves firmly on the door again.  
Paul couldn't see Jason, but he guessed the blonde didn't look much different from the rest.

It was quite obvious.

The master of the house was here.

"Master, please, we were only..." Piper started, but the person at the door silenced her.

"There is a stranger in the castle." The voice stated, distaste clearly audible in his voice.

Paul was fairly certain he should have stayed outside in the rain.  
Staring down at his hands, he noticed they were shaking, the cup barely keeping the tea inside.  
Not knowing what else to do, he emptied the entire cup in one go in his mouth, wondering if burning hot tea was going to be the last thing he'd taste before he died.

Well, at least it had been good tea, made by kind...ghosts.  
Not everybody could go in such style.

"Please, he is just a traveler. He was attacked by wolves and it started to rain. He was only looking for shelter." Jason explained hurriedly, but Paul doubted it would have much effect.

"I thought I've told you what I think of strangers in the castle." The voice sounded again.

It was so cold. So emotionless.  
Of all the ghosts in the room, that voice was the emptiest, as if that voice truly did belong to a ghost - which was ironic, because Hazel had said their master was not ghostly at all.

Paul wanted to look around. He really did.  
He wanted to see the person who was talking.

But he didn't dare.

He cowered in the arm chair, the blanket up to his neck and wondered whether this was going to be it.

"But he is only a poor old man." Piper tried again. There was something about her voice that made Paul think 'Yes, I am only a poor old man', which didn't make any sense.

"He is unwelcome." The voice simply replied and he heard steps coming closer.

He stiffened. Leo stepped forward, alarmed. "Master, please. He does not mean any harm. It was I who allowed him inside and took him here."

"I am aware of that. Nevertheless, he came here. He has taken the liberty to enter a place that doesn't belong to him and make himself feel right at home. The impudence."

Paul winced. "I am deeply sorry, sir. I did not mean any harm. I only wanted a few hours of rest before heading out to the town."

"The town?"

"Yes. I am on my way to the neighboring town. I fear I do not know where I am right now, but I'm sure I'll find my way around come the morning. I'll leave right now, of course, if I am unwelcome. And I apologize for trespassing. It was not my intention." He apologized, his head bowed, still not daring to look around.

By the sound of the voice, the master was right behind him.

"Leave? I do not think so. You wish for rest. You shall have your rest."

Paul's insides filled with dread.

He was going to die.

"Master, please, don't." Jason pleaded.

"There is no way I will let a despicable human leave to tell the tale after seeing you lot. Next thing we know, they'll come to exorcise us or something. I will not have it."

"I won't tell a soul." Paul ensured, but all he got as reply was a short, raw chuckle.

"Of course you won't. Because there won't be any souls here you could tell."

Then the person was right next to him and Paul looked up into the darkest, coldest eyes he had ever seen.

Incomprehension filled him.

This was a mere boy, roughly the same age as the others – the same age as his Percy.

But his eyes. His eyes were dark, almost black, burning with hatred and despise, having seen way too much at a way too young age.

He was tall, taller than Percy and skinny, very skinny.

His skin was as pale as Paul would have imagined a ghost's to be, but not translucent.

He had shoulder-long, dark hair with a slight twirl to it, as if it was naturally curly but too unkempt to truly develop any character. It seemed lifeless.

The master seemed lifeless.

In a room full of ghosts, he was the only dead one.

But why? How? He was so young.  
How could somebody so young be so bitter?  
How could somebody the same age as Percy be so different from Percy?

His confusion and pity must have shown on his face, for the master's face darkened, a scowl destroying the features of the young adult even more.

"Throw him in the dungeon."

"What?" Jason exclaimed, horrified.

"But he's old and wet and weak! He'll die!" Piper wailed.

"This is all my fault! Punish me, but let the poor man go!" Leo begged.

But the man turned away, one last glance at Paul. "That is not of my concern. He has trespassed into my home. It is only right I judge him. And I demand he is to be thrown into the dungeons. Will you oblige? Or do I have to do it myself?"

It was a threat. There was no way out if it, either.  
Paul looked around at the horrorstruck faces of the ghosts around him and was fairly certain none of them wanted to see their master doing this himself.  
He probably had all sorts of torture methods just for these occasions.

No wonder Jason had wanted him out of the house.

Paul would have done better to listen and leave.

Jason walked over, looking grave. "Sir..." He began and Paul nodded quietly, getting up and setting the tea cup aside.

"I am very sorry." He said, not sure what else to say or do.

He wasn't going to get slaughtered on the spot.  
That was a plus, he guessed.

Therefore he would surely die in the dungeons.  
That wasn't so good.

Leo looked utterly guilty, fidgeting around and seemingly trying to think of a way to get Paul out of this.

"Enough talking. Move it." The master announced and nodded sharply towards the door.

Jason took Paul by the arm and led him towards it, but Paul's skinned knees chose that moment to give in.

"Sir!" Jason exclaimed horrified as Paul winced and toppled to the floor.

"Enough. Frank!" The pale boy shouted and next moment, there was a tall, buff person appearing out of thin air, with short, cropped black hair and slightly angled, thin eyes.

"Yes, sir?"

"The dungeon. Get this man to the dungeon. Before I do it." He spat dismissively and Frank nodded, transforming in front of Paul's eyes into a big, furry animal with big, long arms and short, oddly bent legs he had never seen before.

He went forward and grabbed Paul, tossing him over his shoulder and running off.  
Mere moments later, he was pulled off the creature and shoved into a small cell, followed by a thin blanket. Then he heard the bars shut and a key turn in the lock before he could even turn around.

He was locked up.

In a cell.

In a castle full of ghosts and a sadistic master.

In the middle of nowhere.

He was so going to lose his job.

He was going to lose his life.

And his last words to his family had been 'See you in a few days, my dear.' and 'Take good care of your mother, son'.  
Well, it could have been worse.  
Hopefully, they'd be ok.

Please let them be ok.

.

Luke sulked, returning from his hunt as listless as he had started it, though with a few rabbits and a fox slung over the shoulder.  
A few girls ogled him wistfully from behind a big window, cooing and giggling.  
He flashed them a confident smile, though Percy was still on his mind.

He had refused him! Seriously refused him!

Frustrated, he turned to his faithful follower, Ethan, an odd fella with eye-patch and long, sleek black hair. He wasn't exactly bad-looking, but nothing in comparison to a beauty like Percy (or Luke himself, but that was out of the question).

"I have to try once more. Maybe he was too sleepy to think straight. And his mother interfered, too."

Ethan blinked, then nodded. "Yes, I agree. He must not know what he's missing out on."

Luke agreed. "Ok, this time, I'll make sure to catch him without his parents around."

If he remembered correctly, Percy's mother had a late shift today, meaning she'd still be home now.

Damn it.

But maybe he could get to Percy while he tended to the animals?

"Better get going now, then. He will be taking the sheep out and walking them to the other meadow right now." Ethan informed him, looking at the time.

Ethan knew almost everything about Percy's daily activities, since Luke had set him up for spying missions plenty of times before.  
It was one of the few things Ethan was good for, otherwise Luke didn't see much use for him other than to be admired some more for having a 'friend' like him around.  
It seemed that people had a thing for handsome men with not so handsome friends.

"Yes. I shall see to it right now. Take care of this for me. But don't you sell anything. Might need it for the wedding." Luke said, flashing a confident grin before stomping off in the direction of Percy's hut, winking at the girls a last time in passing, pleased to see one faint.

This was going to be good.

.

Percy was just walking back to the house after getting the sheep on the meadow across the small river for grazing when Luke strode up to him, a confident smile on his face.  
Oh great. This was going to be just great.

"Good morning, sweetheart." The blonde greeted and Percy sighed.

"Morning, Luke."

"So, how are you today? Listen, about last night, I'm sure you must have misunderstood me…" Luke started and Percy looked past him at the hut wistfully.

"I just wanted to tell you that I understand, Percy."

He did? Percy looked at him surprised, seeing a rather gentle expression on his face.

"You…you do?"

"Yes, of course. You must have been so sleepy you didn't realize you were rejecting me rather rudely. That's why I'm here now. I'm willing to give you – us - a second chance."

Percy's positive surprise turned to annoyance.

Oh. Of course.

"Listen, Luke…" He started, but Luke held up a hand.

"Now, now, don't say anything just yet. I want to let you know how much you mean to me, Percy. You are the most beautiful man I have ever seen. And your eyes! You have astonishing eyes. So green and…and beautiful." Luke halted for a moment, seemingly trying to get some more words together.

See, kids, this is what happened if you never pick up a book and read. Your vocabulary – or the lack thereof– would always turn against you at some point.

Luke waved off. "Anyways, you are perfect for me. We would be the perfect match. Just think about it. And I'd make sure you have everything your heart desires. I will fulfill all your wildest dreams."

"What do you know about my dreams?" Percy muttered doubtfully.

"Oh, everything, of course. I know you, Percy. We can have some hunting dogs and you'll have all the money you want, I'll make sure to provide you with everything you desire. I'll make sure to support your parents as well, then you don't have to worry about that either. You could have a simple, pleasant life with me. Especially pleasant. It hasn't escaped my notice that you have kept yourself for the special someone – which is to say: me. Don't you worry, I'm an amazing lover. So, what do you say?"

Percy stared at him, utterly speechless.  
He was so astonished he wasn't even embarrassed about being sexually harassed by Luke right now.

He definitely wasn't keeping himself for _Luke_.

It was true he was still a virgin, but that was because he saw no point in fooling around with random people.  
Maybe he was prude that way, but he didn't want to do anything without love.

Percy wasn't sure what to make of the other points, though.

Yeah, money was nice, but he would rather work on the fields for the rest of his life than marry Luke because of it.  
And yes, Percy liked dogs, but more as companions than for the hunt.  
The only good point was his family. Luke was right about that.  
Percy would love it if his mother could cut back from work a bit, and having Paul home would be great, too.

But would he seriously marry Luke and give up on everything he had ever dreamed of just for that?  
He imagined telling his parents about this. They'd be so upset Percy would even consider it.

This was wrong.

"Luke, I…" He started, but was again cut off as Luke waved off again.

Percy crossed his arms in front of his chest, now defiant.  
Why was Luke asking him anything if he didn't want him to speak?

"Percy, I love you. Be mine, that's all I ask." Luke declared, lowering himself onto one knee and grabbing Percy's hand against his will.

Percy felt the big, warm hands on his own and shuddered.  
It didn't feel _bad_ , per se, but somehow it was just…wrong.

"Will you marry me?" Luke asked, blue eyes ablaze – not with love, but with greed and raw lust.

He wanted Percy. But he didn't love Percy.  
Luke didn't love anybody but himself.

Percy pulled his hand back. "No." He said flat-out, stepping back.

Luke blinked, confusion crossing his features.

"No?"

"No."

Now Luke started looking exasperated.

"Whyever not? What is not to your liking?"

"Luke, I simply…"

"Is it because of the hunting? I ensure you it won't be half bad once you know more about it."

"It's not that. Luke, I…"

"Then what is it? I already said I will take you, even with your family being…the way it is. What more do you want?" He asked bewildered and slightly annoyed.

"Love, Luke. I want love." Percy stated, fed up with this whole situation.

"But I love you!" Luke exclaimed, frowning deeply and reaching for Percy's hand again, but he pulled it back again.

"No, no you don't. You _want_ me. There's a difference."

Luke furrowed his eyebrows even further, hesitating and Percy had the distinct expression he was trying to determine whether there really was a difference between the two things or not.  
Percy shook his head, slowly walking backwards.

"You want me, Luke. Same as you want all those other guys. I'm sorry, but I don't want to be just another guy to you – or anybody, really." He explained, hoping Luke would understand and finally leave him alone.

Luke had kept walking after him, still frowning and confused, but right then his face lit up. "That's what you're worried about? I would have never taken you for the jealous type, Percy. I do love you. What I had with those others didn't mean anything to me. I have never proposed to anybody else either, after all. You're the only one for me, Percy. Can't you see?"

He grabbed Percy's hand before Percy could say or do anything and tugged, pulling Percy into a tight embrace.  
Strong arms wrapped themselves around him as his face was pressed against Luke's broad chest, nose where his neck started.

Unwillingly, he caught a whiff of the blonde.

He didn't like it.

Luke smelled of musk and sweat and dead animals, making Percy wonder what he had killed this time.  
He made a complaining sound and put his hands firmly on the taller guy's chest, pushing him away gently, yet determined.

"Luke, I don't...I can't marry you. Please...just give up. I have to go now." Percy said, not meeting Luke's eyes.

Then he turned around and fled before the blonde could think of something else to ambush him with.

He heard him calling after him, but ignored it and rushed to his hut, locking himself in and hurrying towards his room. "Percy? Are you ok?" His mother's voice sounded and he looked around in surprise.

Oh, yeah, she had a late shift today, starting in the late afternoon and ending deep at night. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just...I'm fine."

She raised an eyebrow, clearly seeing that something was amiss.  
But she didn't pry.

She was great like that.

"So, have you fed the chicken and the pigs yet?" She asked instead, tugging on his blue shirt to make it cover his collar bones better. She always did that.

Because of his lean built, the shirts he got from Paul always seemed to shift, exposing too much skin in her opinion.

He grinned sheepishly. "I'll get to it in a moment?"

She seemed thoughtful for a moment, then walked over to the window and looked outside. "Should I cover for you and tell him you're in town?" She asked casually and he scowled for the fraction of a second before putting on an innocent expression.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

But she knew better. "I watched you two talking. I'm not going to ask what he wanted, but I will ask this: Should I send the pigs after him?"

Percy sighed, hoping it didn't sound as wistful as he felt. Sending the pigs after him sounded so alluring. "No, it's ok. It should be, anyways."

"Are you sure? Because he's on his way to the door right now."

"Oh no." Percy groaned and looked around him frantically for a hiding place.

His mother raised a quizzical eyebrow. "My offer still stands. Should I tell him you're in town?"

"You can't. He saw me coming in here mere minutes ago, after all."

"You could have sneaked out through the back and taken the way along the river to that small hill and then through the forest to the city. Where you come out where the bookstore is."

He blinked. That used to be one of his secret escape routes to home whenever he got held up in the city – mostly by Luke.

"How do you..."

She winked at him. "I know a lot of things. So?"

"I love you, mum." He said, hugging her tight and dashing through the room to the small trap door leading to a small space that they usually used to store supplies in for bad times.

His mother chuckled. "That bad?"

"You don't want to know. Trust me." He ensured her and forced his body down into the gap, careful not to empty the makeshift-shelves or step on anything he wasn't meant to step on.

Then he pulled on the trap door and was gone from sight.  
No minute later, there was knocking on the door.  
He heard his mother's footsteps and the sound of the door being opened.

"Oh, hello Luke. What may I do for you?" She asked in her casual, friendly voice.

"Good day, Mrs. Blofis. I just saw Percy going in here and was wondering whether I could talk to him." Luke's voice sounded through the house.

Percy cringed.  
Why? Why wouldn't he leave him alone already?  
What did Percy have to say or do to make him stop?

Definitely not marry him. That much was certain.

"Oh, I'm sorry. He only came in here to grab his coat, then he headed back out to go to town."

"What? That's odd. I didn't see him leaving."

"He went out the back door." She replied simply.

"Ah, I see. Well, that's too bad. Erm...I...I lent him something...a...erm...a book. Do you think it would be ok if I went to his room and fetched it real quick? I need it back urgently. He wanted to give it back to me yesterday, so I'm sure he doesn't need it anymore."

Whoa, what a lie!

First of all, Percy barely read. Mainly because the words all tumbled off the pages for unexplainable reasons whenever he tried to concentrate on them.  
Also, he couldn't be bothered reading when he could spend his time sword fighting.

For a moment, there was silence and he was certain the same things crossed his mum's mind.

It was so obvious what Luke was doing.  
He was making up an excuse so he could get into the house and check whether Percy really wasn't there.

Good thing he was hiding under the trap door instead of in his room.  
There was no way Luke could find an excuse to open it – not that he would think of Percy hiding there in the first place.

"Sure, come on in, then. I didn't know you read." His mother's voice was cheerful as usual, but Percy knew she didn't like Luke.

Probably because she disliked liars and didn't trust him because it was obvious Percy had a problem with him.  
He heard heavy footsteps and the door closing, Luke making his way across the small hallways slowly, moving towards Percy's room while muttering something like 'Yeah, people tell me that a lot'.  
His mother seemed to stay at the door.

It would have been fun to hear Luke explain himself once he was in Percy's room and realized there was no book there he could use.

Percy cowered in the narrow space, one hand on his sword to keep it from clanging against anything.  
He'd have to make it up to his mother later.  
She generally didn't lie, too good a person to ever do anything bad.

Maybe he should get her chocolates.  
Or offer to do the chores for the next week.  
Or simply clean the chicken extra thoroughly.  
Or how about he simply kept his word for once and fed the pigs and chicken when he was meant to and bothered to actually clean the chicken at all for once instead of just intending to do a really good job and never starting?

Yeah, he decided he'd go for that.  
It was the most realistic option, anyways.

He heard the door to his room close and hoped vaguely Luke would leave his stuff where it was and not do anything indecent to his bed.

Then he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

After what felt like an eternity later, Luke emerge from his room again, clearly upset if his hurried footsteps and frustrated sigh stood for anything.

"I guess he must have taken it with him. I better go looking for him now. Thank you, Mrs. Blofis. It was nice seeing you." Luke excused himself briskly, no emotion in the last part of his statement.

"Oh, yes. It was nice to see you as well. Take care." His mother chirped and Percy heard the door open and close, Luke's steps moving away from the hut loud enough for Percy to hear.

For a long moment, there was silence.

"Ok he's gone." His mother announced and Percy sighed in relief, opening the trap door and crawling out again. "Thank you so much, mum. I owe you. I'll be out taking care of the chicken and the pigs, ok?"

His mother laughed. "Oh? If I had known Luke was all it took to get you to help me properly with the livestock, I'd have invited him over much sooner."

Percy scowled and his mother came over, brushing her fingers through his messy black hair.

"Just take care, ok?" She muttered quietly and his lips twitched.

"It's not like the pigs will attack me or anything."

She rolled her eyes exasperated, though she was smiling. "You know what I mean. And tell us if there's anything wrong. You're always trying to solve everything by yourself. Paul and I will get worried, you know."

Percy swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, I promise I'll come to you if there's anything wrong, ok? Now, there's chicken to clean!" He said cheerfully, rubbing his hands together with fake enthusiasm and making his way out the door – but not before checking once more that Luke wasn't anywhere close by still.

.

Percy was just finishing feeding the pigs after cleaning the chicken coop for the past hours when he heard it.

The sound of a galloping horse.

He looked up, searching the meadow and nearby forest for the source of the sound, half dreading Luke had gotten himself a horse and was going to play his knight in shining armor – he wouldn't have put it behind him.

Then he saw Blackjack bounding from the forest, leaping over an old tree trunk and running towards him at top speed.

"Blackjack? Oh god, what happened? Where's dad?" He asked horrified, his heart sinking to somewhere around his navel.

What the hell had happened? Was dad ok?  
Blackjack had never run off before.  
The horse reared up in front of him and for a moment Percy wondered if Blackjack was going to trample him to death.

But then the horse stomped on the ground, shaking his mane agitatedly and nudged Percy roughly.  
Percy patted the black neck soothingly and inspected his state.

There were leaves and twigs stuck in his mane and tail and his black fur was plastered with mud and moss.  
Then he saw scratch marks on his flank.

Percy didn't know much, but he could swear these came from a wolf.

"You were attacked! How's dad? Is he alive?" He asked Blackjack, dread filling every fiber of his body.

The horse whinnied and pulled back again, nudging him and seemingly wanting him to follow.  
Could Blackjack possibly want to take him to his dad?  
He could hear somebody hurrying towards him and turned to see his mother.

"Percy? Percy, what's wrong? What happened? Where's Paul?"

"I don't know. Blackjack just suddenly bounded from the forest. Mum, I have to go look for him. I think Blackjack wants to bring me to him."

His mother hesitated, panting heavily and eyeing the horse.  
Her gaze halted at the wound on his flank and her face paled.  
Then she looked back at Percy, fear in her eyes.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine, mum. Blackjack would never leave him to…to get harmed." He tried with fake confidence.

She nodded quietly, eyeing Riptide at his makeshift-belt.

"Don't you worry about me, mum. I know how to use this. I'll go look for dad and get him home before you even get home from work, you'll see." Percy ensured her, hugging her tight.

Sally hugged him back, rubbing her face against his hair. "Please be careful."

"I will." Percy reassured her and let her go, then turned to Blackjack.

"Ready to take me there, Blackjack?" He asked, hauling himself onto the horse in one swift motion, avoiding the wound.

The horse whinnied and nervously shifted, but turned towards the forest instantly.

"I hope you know the way, buddy." He muttered quietly under his breath and spurred him on.

Blackjack bounded for the thick trees and they were gone.

.

"Shh, boy, it's ok. It's just a bit foggy and creepy. Come on, go on, we'll be just fine. I'll give you tons of donuts when we get back, ok?" Percy soothed Blackjack, but mainly talked to hear his own voice instead of the rustling and shuffling around him in the undergrowth.

They've been riding for hours, the sun already going down in the west.  
Blackjack whinnied quietly, but at the sound of donuts he picked up speed and trotted with more determination (or maybe Percy was simply imagining things).  
Percy looked around him, but couldn't see any immediate danger.

Still, he left one hand on the hilt of his sword.

He wasn't THAT good with it yet, since the weight and length was different from what he was used to, but he was still certain he could fight with it well enough to protect Blackjack and himself.

Blackjack seemed unusually jumpy, so Percy assumed they were getting close to the place in question.  
He kept his eyes peeled, searching for anything that could be a hiding place for his father or maybe a lump on the ground where he was sleeping or something (Percy refused to think of him any other way but alive and well).

But nothing.

Blackjack trotted on, his ears pointing in all directions, catching every little sound.  
Percy patted his neck.  
Then he froze, staring straight ahead in disbelief.

There was a castle coming into view.

A real castle.

A real, giant castle.

A real, giant, black castle that looked like a haunted mansion (Percy's mum definitely read him too many stories as a child).

"This can't be right, dad wouldn't be…here…" He started, but then he saw something dark on the inside of the gate, lying on the wet pavement.

He spurred Blackjack on and halted in front of the big Iron Gate, getting off the horse.

This thing was huge!

He had never known there was a castle here.  
Was it abandoned? Who used to live here?  
Was this the old castle of the stories the elders used to tell him?

Nah, probably not. Those were only stories to scare the kids off and make them be too wary of the forest to play in it.

He pushed the gate open, surprised by how easily it swung open, not even creaking or anything.  
Maybe there was somebody living here after all to oil the hinges?

Blackjack whinnied behind him, seemingly not wanting to follow.

"Come on, Blackjack. Donuts. Lots of donuts. Just don't leave me alone." Percy muttered and Blackjack shook his head wildly, snorting, as if to say 'I can't believe I'm doing this. But donuts…'

Percy couldn't suppress a smile at the thought and went on, edging closer to the dark object on the floor.  
It was his dad's journal, the one he always took with him everywhere he went.  
It must have fallen out his bag.

Percy looked up at the front door, a big black double door with demons engraved on it and what looked like a gargoyle perched up on a pedestal in front of it.

Very inviting.

Percy looked at Blackjack, who looked at him with a sort of 'You can't be serious' face, which was really weird for a horse, but Percy had long stopped questioning things like this.

"I got to look if he's there. Will you stand guard?"

The horse whinnied. It sounded a lot like 'No way in hell, boss. Anything but that'.

Percy rolled his eyes, patting his neck again. "Donuts?"

The horse halted.  
Then he whinnied again as if to ask 'How many?'

"Tons of donuts. So many you'll think you're in donut heaven, buddy."

The horse snorted and shook his head in defeat.

"The things I do for donuts." Percy translated, grinning winningly and patting his neck once more before walking towards the front door.

Blackjack watched him go before turning around and eyeing the gate warily.  
Percy sure had a smart horse.

He reached the door, letting his gaze travel over the intricate design carved into it and raised his hand to the knocker.  
Then he took a deep breath and knocked loudly.  
The sound echoed through the castle grounds eerily and Percy realized it WAS oddly quiet.

No birds singing.  
No rustling of the wind in the trees.

Weird.

He knocked once more. "Hello? Anybody home?" He called, but again, no answer.

Percy tried to open the door, just to find it opening as easily as the gate.  
Somebody definitely stayed here to oil the hinges.  
He poked his head inside, looking around the rather dark and gloomy, but otherwiseley clean and well-kept place.

The sunlight from outside seemed to get filtered out in the dark windows, only allowing the tiniest bit of light inside, but it was enough to make out the big hallway with tons of doors to the left and right, as well as a giant staircase further back.

Interesting. This looked so much like a real fairytale castle, just that it had way too much of a ghost story or something.

Percy willed his beating heart to calm down. "Hello? Dad? Are you here somewhere?" He called, his voice echoing through the building.

Silence.

Then he heard small muttering at the end of the hall.

"Hello?" He asked, looking down at the threshold. He so didn't want to set foot in here.

Sighing, he did it anyways, his hand on the hilt of Riptide, walking towards where the noise came from.  
More muttering and what sounded like a small hiss, then there was silence again.  
Percy stopped, frowning, then looked around the big hallway again.

"Dad? Anyone? Blackjack brought me here, so you better be here, dad. Mum is worried." He started talking, more to have something to do than to make himself heard.

More muttering.  
Percy walked towards it. "Hello?"

"I said no. Just ignore him, he'll leave eventually." He heard a small voice hiss.

"Are you mad? This is the boy the old man was talking about! He came to fetch his dad, we can't ignore that. Maybe we could…" Another voice muttered.

"No. No, no, no, no and no. I will not have it. Do you want him locked up somewhere as well?"

Locked up? As well? As well as who?  
Panic surged through Percy and he hurried towards the voices, but there was nothing there, other than a chandelier and what looked like odd orbs of smoke.

"Where's my dad?" Percy asked into the silence, trying to sound more determined and confident than he was.

The orbs of smoke moved sideways, inching towards the wall.

"Come on, he's perfect. I'm sure he won't harm _this one_."

"Leo, shut up, he can hear you."

Percy eyed the orbs of smoke warily.

"Yeah, I can hear you. Where are you? I don't want to be rude, but I'm looking for my dad and I can't really play hide and seek right now."

"Jason…" The first voice pleaded and the orbs of smoke stopped moving, one of them nudging the other one.

This was so weird.  
What the hell was this? Could Percy touch it?  
SHOULD he touch it?

Before he knew what he was doing, he already reached out to touch the smoke.

"Eek!" The first voice shrieked unexpectedly and one of the orbs zoomed off towards the wall and straight through it.

The other orb seemed to stare after it. "Seriously…? You coward." It scolded and Percy realized the voices must be coming _from these things_.

"This is so weird." He muttered, more to himself than anyone in particular.

"Sir, I am very sorry, but I think it'd be better if you left." The orb told him quietly, but Percy shook his head. "I can't leave without my dad. Where is he? You and your wispy friend said something about somebody being locked up? Is that my dad?"

The orb simply hovered in the air for a moment.  
Then there was a collective sigh, before the orb disappeared into the wall as well.

"Wait!" Percy called, rushing forward and trying to stop it, but it was already gone.

He patted down the wall for some way to get through it, but he guessed he was too materialized to go through it.

So he looked for a door instead.  
Right when he was about to open one, though, there was a low whistle behind him and he spun around, hand on his sword.  
But there was nothing except a faint light from beneath one of the doors on the right.

Percy walked towards it warily, eyes on the small spread of light.

He put his hand on the door handle and pushed it open, half expecting something to jump at him or more orbs of smoke.  
Instead, the light flickered and moved downwards and around the corner of the staircase that was staring back at him.

It seemed to belong to some sort of small candle?  
He looked over his shoulder at the eerie hallway and where the orbs used to be.  
Then he sighed and followed the small flickering light, hoping this wouldn't get him lost.

.

"Hey, wait up!" He hissed, hurrying after the small light. It looked like a fire but there was no candle anywhere to be seen. Percy decided not to question it right now.

Instead, he kept going downwards, further and further into the darkness.

Then he heard somebody cough. "Dad?"

"Percy?"

"Oh god, Dad!" Percy exclaimed, rushing towards the sound of his father's voice.

He ran headfirst into iron bars.

"What the-…are you ok, dad? What happened?" He asked worriedly and bent down, where his father's hands reached through the bars and clasped his own.

"I'm ok, son. Listen, you have to get out of here."

"What? Not without you. What happened? Why are you locked up?"

"We are not welcome here, son. The staff is nice enough, but the master…" A shiver ran down his father's back. Then he started coughing again.

Percy stroked his hands, noticing what seemed to be an open wound on his palms.

"You're hurt. And sick. Dad, we have to get you out of here."

"No, kid. Go back to your mother. Get out of this castle. I don't want you locked up here as well."

"I'll get you out of here."

"Percy, no-…"

"What is the meaning of this?" A voice sounded behind them and Percy spun around, pulling out his sword instinctively.

That voice. It was so…cold. Hard. Dark.  
In the darkness, Percy couldn't make out much, which was to say: nothing.

"Percy, get out!" His father's voice urged behind him, but he ignored it and wondered whether he should lower his sword.

"It is rude to point a weapon at the master of the house you trespass in." The voice notified him quietly and Percy heard what sounded like a sword being drawn.

A dark tip met his bronze sword and pushed it aside with the flat of the blade, signaling Percy to lower his sword without the other party wishing to counterattack.

Not that he trusted this stranger. "I do not mean to be rude, sir. But my father is injured and ill and, with your permission I will take him with me now and leave."

"No." The voice simply stated.

Percy blinked, face flushing. "What?"

"No. You will not."

"Yes, I will, sir. If he stays here, he will die."

"Then he shouldn't have come here in the first place."

"I ensure you we're all sorry about that. But, please, just let him go."

"No."

"Why not?" Percy asked confused.

"He has seen too much of the castle. He would talk." The voice said flatly.

"Then I'll promise you he won't." Percy ensured, pleading.

"What does your word matter to me?"

God, this guy was annoying.  
Plus, his voice sent shivers down Percy's spine, which didn't feel good at all.

"I guess it doesn't. Well…is there anything I could do to change your mind? Please, this is my dad. I'd do anything to get him to safety, but at this rate he WILL die. My mum will be heartbroken if she loses another man."

There was silence for a moment.  
The 'master' seemed to hesitate.

Percy decided to babble. "Please, she's already lost her first man – my real dad. All Paul wanted was to go to the neighboring town and work as a tutor so he could support our family, else my mum will have to work even harder and she's already working so hard. She's probably home right now, taking care of the livestock all by herself while worrying sick about her husband and son. Please, don't take him away from her, you have no idea how much she was hurting after my dad passed away. So is there anything I can do? What if I stayed in his place? I could be your prisoner. Just let him go."

The person shifted. Percy noticed a faint light coming from the door where he had come from, illuminating the room ever so slightly in some sort of blue-grey light.  
It wasn't much, but at least it let him see the outline of the person in front of him.

He was tall, maybe a few inches taller than Percy himself, and rather slender, though that didn't mean anything.

"Please…" Percy pleaded and heard his father coughing behind him again. It didn't sound good.

"Percy, please just get out of here. I'm old, my life is lived. Sally will survive without me. But she won't survive without you, son."

Percy ignored him, his attention solely on the person in front of him.

"You would stay…in his place?" The person inquired quietly.

Percy nodded, though he wasn't sure whether he could see that. "Yes. You can lock me up here all you want, just let my dad go. I'm strong and healthy, you'll be able to torture me much longer than my dad before I die."

Paul began begging behind him, telling him to stop it and run, to leave him behind, that his life was well spent and he would rather die than watch his son taking his place in this makeshift-prison.

The person stepped towards him in the darkness and Percy forced himself to stay calm, squaring his shoulders, trying to mask his growing unease.  
A hand appeared out of nowhere, ice cold knuckles caressing his cheek ever so faintly, before long, sleek fingers lifting his chin slightly.  
He shivered beneath the touch but stayed firm, unwilling to show any sign of weakness.  
He still couldn't make out much of the person, but he did feel his piercing eyes on him, studying him.  
So Percy tried his best to look straight back, trying to stare right at where he guessed the person's eyes would be.

Then the person in front of him sucked in a sharp breath and pulled his hand back slowly, almost reluctantly.

"Fine. He may go. You will stay. Frank!" He called and Percy flinched at the sudden loudness.

Paul wailed behind him. "No, Percy! Percy, please! This is a cursed place. Leave me here. Your mother needs you."

Percy turned to see a young man roughly his age appear out of thin air and unlock the cell.  
He hurried forward to help his dad up, but 'Frank' was faster.

"It's ok, dad. Go to mum. Tell her I'll be fine." He assured him quickly, trying to get close to his father a last time.

Percy wouldn't be any help to his mother. All he managed to do was feed the animals and keep his room clean, but other than that he was as useless as they came.  
He had worked in the bakery but that hadn't worked at all because he had either burnt everything or mixed inedible batters.  
He had worked with the blacksmith but wasn't strong nor skilled enough with the hot metal.  
He had helped cleaning on the few farms but they had all complained he hadn't been thoroughly enough.  
All he could do was fight with his sword, and that wouldn't get his mother any money.

That wouldn't help finance the livestock and the food they needed to live.

So all he'd do if he returned in Paul's place was break his mother's heart, his own promise to her and make life extra difficult for them as well as being responsible for his step-father's death.  
No, he wouldn't have it.

"No, Percy, please. Please, Mister, don't let him do this. He is only a child." Paul wailed while Frank had trouble moving with him towards the staircase.

"He's old enough to decide for himself. Frank, I hereby grant you permission to take him to the stables and ready a carriage that shall be enabled to leave the castle grounds to bring this man home." The master of the house declared and Percy frowned at the odd phrasing.

The young man – Frank – nodded curtly and lifted Paul with a tenderness that baffled Percy for a moment, before bounding for the stairs.

"Wait, son, I have to tell you-…" Paul started, but the person growled impatiently.

"Out. Now." The voice cut in briskly.

"Dad, it'll be ok. I'll be fine." Percy assured him, wishing faintly he believed what he was saying himself.

He also wished he could at least hug his father a last time, but Frank seemed to take his orders to heart, for the next moment, he was halfway up the stairs.

"Dad, tell mum I love her. I love you, too!" Percy called after him, uncaring how he appeared to the master of the house right now.

Then they were gone.

And Percy had never felt more alone.

.

For a long moment, there was silence. The person didn't even make a breathing sound.  
If Percy couldn't still see his silhouette, he would have thought he was alone in this dark, eerie room full of prison cells.  
He didn't know what to say or do, so he only took a deep breath and walked towards the cell his dad had been in, his whole body trembling with the urge to cry and the need to run after his father.

He also off-handedly wondered whether they'd let Blackjack go.  
But he guessed the horse would be able to escape when his father left, one way or another.  
They wouldn't keep him locked up here as well, right?

His movement seemed to pull his captor out of his thoughts, for he now shifted as well. "Come." He announced with that cold, emotionless voice.

"What?" Percy asked, frowning. Where to?

But the man had already turned around and walked towards the now wide open door towards the light and up the stairs.  
Percy stared after him, utterly confused.  
The person stopped before disappearing and looked back.

For the first time, Percy could see his face in the dim light coming from the top of the stairs.

He had ghostly white skin and messy, shoulder-long, dark hair, as well as the darkest and most emotion-deprived eyes Percy had ever seen.

Their gazes met for a splint second and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, then the young man turned his head away again. „Come." He repeated, then walked on.

Percy stood there, transfixed for a moment, his brain still trying to process everything.  
Then he followed swiftly, putting his sword back to his belt. He hadn't even noticed he was still holding it.

They ascended the stairs and found themselves back in the big, spacious hallway, but it was now brightly lit with tons of chandeliers, making it look slightly more inviting, yet also all the more creepy.  
This whole place still looked like it had jumped straight out of one of those ghost stories his mum used to tell him.

Percy noticed he had stopped walking and looked around hurriedly for the young man.  
He was on the big staircase, looking back down at him quietly, studying him again.

Percy's mouth went dry, gazing his captor up and down in what he couldn't deny was awe as well as shock.  
He was tall and very slim, dressed completely in black with a black coat, setting a striking contrast to his pale, ghostly skin.  
For some reason, Percy couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Who…are you?" He heard his own voice asking, inwardly glad it didn't betray the jumble of emotions inside him.

The person turned away again, walking on, so Percy hurried after him, wondering whether he'd get an answer.

"I am the master of this house." He then replied simply.

Wow. Percy sighed deeply. This was going to be one hell of a stay. Forever.

"He's just shy around strangers." A voice sounded next to him and he jumped away, yelping in shock and almost tumbling down the stairs again. "What the-…"

A person. Suddenly, a person.  
Roughly his age, but shorter than him, with curly brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, darker skin and the broadest and most wicked smile Percy had ever seen.

Where the hell had he come from?

"Leo! What did I say about scaring people?!" Another voice sounded next to 'Leo' and suddenly, there was another person.

This person was taller than him with short blonde hair and sky-blue eyes – and he was vaguely transparent.  
He felt something behind him and looked over his shoulder at the master of the house, looking rather displeased at the two men in front of them.

He must have moved closer when Percy had jumped away in terror. Maybe to keep him from bolting? His closeness wasn't helping much, then.

"Aw, come on, Jason. He'll have to get used to it. See? Seems like he _didn't_ lock him up in a cell like the old man." Leo said pointedly and winked at Percy, who still stared at the two of them in disbelief.

Were they…ghosts?

"Jason. Leo. I have a feeling you're responsible for _another guest_ making his way inside my castle?" The voice of his captor interrupted their chit chat, his demeanor cool and disinterested, but he did emphasize the word 'another guest' with clear distaste in his voice.

Both of them winced, confirming the assumption.  
Percy recognized their voices from the orbs of smoke, realizing they must have helped him somehow. That would also explain the odd light that had appeared and led him to his dad.  
Feeling a pang of gratitude and sympathy, he cleared his throat.

"Actually, I let myself in. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you, sir. I just wanted to find my dad." It certainly was weird calling a person roughly his age 'sir', but the authority was not questioned right now.

The dark-haired boy only huffed indignantly and turned away again. "I see."

He gave a quick jerk of his head to signal him he should follow and walked on.

"Where are we going, though? I thought you were going to lock me up in that cell and let me rot forever." Percy asked, looking around him at the walls and pictures of the first floor. They were all dark and gloomy and creepy.

Jason and Leo followed, seemingly uncertain whether to speak or be silent and apparently not knowing where they were going either, since they stayed behind Percy and halted at every turn.

"Would you want that?" The person asked simply.

Percy frowned. "Erm…no?" Who in their right mind would want that?

"Then why do you question it?"

"I'm just confused, I guess." Percy's frown deepened. So he wasn't going to rot forever?

The young man sighed. "You will have your own room. You may move freely throughout the castle and the castle grounds, but stay away from the West Wing." He then announced calmly.

"What's in the West Wing?" Percy inquired, curiosity getting the better of him.

The man shot him a glare so ferocious and deadly, Percy was surprised it didn't pulverize him on the spot. He lifted his hands defensively. "Alright, no more questions about the West Wing. So…"

"Jason and Leo here will help you get comfortable. Jason, Leo, you will help him get comfortable. Since you disobey me with whatever I forbid you, maybe ordering you to do it will keep the surprises down."

Leo and Jason grinned sheepishly, Leo winking at Percy again, who frowned and looked back at the master of the house, but he had his head turned away from him.

They were now standing in front of a big double door.

Jason strode forward, not making a single sound, and opened it for them, while the dark-haired turned to look at Percy once more. "I shall leave you to yourself now. If there is anything you need, the staff will surely introduce itself to you soon enough. Dinner will be served at 7pm every night, you are entitled to sleep as long as you wish, but you will dine with me every evening. No ifs or buts and _no_ exceptions. Also, you will not leave the castle grounds. Not by yourself, definitely not with any of my staff, and not with your horse, either." He ordered briskly.

Percy's head whipped up. "Blackjack? He's staying here?"

The man frowned at him. Percy couldn't blame him.  
Of all the things he had just said Percy would have had quite a bit to say about each, but all he had inquired was whether his horse would really stay here.

He was pathetic.

To his stunned surprise, the ghost of a smile hushed over the man's face. "Yes, _Blackjack_ will stay here. He will be in the stables."

Percy vaguely wondered how this man even knew, since they had only just met and he hadn't left at any point or talked to anybody as far as Percy could tell.

Weird.

Really weird.

He also off-handedly noticed how he referred to Blackjack as 'he' rather than 'it'.  
He wasn't sure what difference it really made, but it made him relax a bit nevertheless.

As he entered the room, the man turned away wordlessly and disappeared into the shadows of the now dark hallway.

When had the lights disappeared? When had it become so dark again? How could the person just blend into the shadows like that?

Jason and Leo watched their master leave as well, then they smiled at Percy and ushered him into the room further, closing the door behind them.

"So, let us properly introduce ourselves, my dear. I am Leo, but you can also call me Hot Stuff, and this is Jason, our rule-loving snob."

"Geez, thanks, mate. I love you, too." Jason muttered under his breath and Percy chuckled, taking their outstretched hands one at a time, too taken by surprise to think much right now.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Percy, as you probably noticed."

"Yes, Paul told us quite a bit about you." Leo told him cheerfully before getting Jason's elbow in his ribs with a pointed not towards Percy and a small glare.

At the mention of his step-dad, Percy's face fell.

He looked around the room quietly.

His room.  
Forever.  
This was going to be his new home.

Slowly, it all sickered in.

He was never going to return to his parents.  
Never walk across the meadow again.  
Never train with Chiron again.  
He also would never go and become that knight he had wanted to be.

No, he'd be stuck here forever.

In a haunted castle in the middle of nowhere.  
Until the day he died.

"I'm sorry, Percy. This is all my fault. I let your father inside. I just thought…there was a storm brewing, he was hurt, no horse, nothing. I just…I didn't expect the master to…I'm sorry." Leo muttered, his expression full of guilt.

Percy waved off, forcing himself to smile. "It's ok. I don't blame you. If you hadn't let him inside, he probably would have frozen to death outside, not to mention he could have probably been torn to pieces by those wolves. Or lost forever in the forest, what without Blackjack. So, all in all, I owe you. You saved my dad."

Leo looked close to tears. Jason shot him a sideways glance and wrapped an arm around him soothingly, pulling him close.  
It was really weird to watch, since he could still see through them partly.

"Erm...sorry to ask, but...what exactly are you? I mean…are you ghosts?"

Jason chuckled while Leo rubbed his eyes wildly. "Something like that. It's…difficult to explain. And we aren't allowed to." The blonde explained, rubbing Leo's arm up and down while Leo only shot him an irritated glance.

"By your master?" Percy probed.

"Yeah."

"So what else are you forbidden to tell me?"

They both chuckled and exchanged bemused glances.

"I think we'll get along quite well. Wait until you meet the others. We haven't had a guest in, like…come to think of it…" Leo started, then turned thoughtful.

"I think we have never actually had anybody here ever since then…" He then said, looking at Jason as if waiting for confirmation.

Jason also looked thoughtful. "Yeah, I believe this is the first time he's allowed anybody to stay."

"So…what happened to the last people that visited this place?" Percy asked frowning. The place had been impossible to find, but not impossible enough to never find it.

"They usually don't come inside. And if they do, they run away screaming when they see us. Your dad and you were the first exceptions." Leo shrugged while Jason shot him a warning glance.

Percy nodded quietly and looked about the room he would be living in once more.  
It was a spacious room with a big bed and a drawer, as well as a wardrobe and a cupboard.

All in all a normal, yet unusually big room.  
Percy sighed and walked towards the big window, looking outside.

"Well, anyways...how about we take a look at the clothes? I'm sure Drew and Piper have already stocked up the wardrobe. You'll need something different to wear for dinner tonight." Jason said, walking over to the wardrobe, while Leo joined Percy by the window, looking outside with a mixed expression, as if he wanted nothing more than to go outside but felt guilty about feeling that way.

"Tonight? I really don't feel like doing anything other than drop dead...wait, since I'm kind of living here now, am I going to turn into a ghost-thing, too?" He asked, eyeing Leo's transparency warily.

He laughed. "What? Nah, I shouldn't think so. The master didn't turn into one of us either, after all."

"Wait, he isn't?"

Leo frowned. "No, of course not. He's a regular human, like you."

Percy blinked at that revelation. The master had seemed most like a ghost to him.  
Jason pulled out a clean white shirt and fitting dress pants. "I can't blame you for assuming that, though. Your father thought the same thing. You two are quite similar."  
Percy smiled for a moment, then his chest clenched painfully at the thought that he'd never see him again.

"Sorry. That was tactless." Jason apologized, but Percy waved off.

"It's not your fault. I'll simply...have to live with it. Listen, guys, do you think there's any way I can get around dinner tonight? I don't mind eating with him, but right now...I'd really like to just be alone, really. Just for tonight."

Leo and Jason shared a long glance, both looking uneasy.

"He did say no exception..." Jason muttered, laying out the clothes on the bed.

"We know how you feel, Percy. But we also know how he can get...he's...a bit difficult. As a friend of ours would say: It wouldn't be wise. It really wouldn't be. Better just go to the dinner. You don't even have to eat much if you're not hungry." Leo explained, but Percy really didn't want to go.

He gazed out of the window quietly.

"Listen, we'll leave you alone for a while, ok? If you need anything, just call for us. And, please reconsider the dinner. For us, disobeying orders isn't that big news to him, but he already knows us for a lifetime. You...I wouldn't want to risk it." Jason advised and Percy only nodded curtly, not looking around.

He heard the door open and close and inwardly wondered why they even bothered, since they could just turn into orbs of smokes and disappear, but he didn't question it either.  
Instead, he finally allowed the tears to stream down his face, dripping down onto the window sill.

Then he broke down sobbing, curling himself into a ball of misery.

His family.

His friends.

His home.

All gone.

Forever.

.

Nico paced in his room, wondering what the hell he was doing.

Why had he agreed to let this...this _boy_ stay? He had no use for him.

He hadn't had any use for the old man, either, but he simply had felt like making a point.  
It wasn't as if he hadn't taken care of him. Well, his 'care' had been turning a blind eye to his servants smuggling food and blankets to his prisoner to keep him alive and well.

More alive than well. Nico had noticed the drop in health as well. Which was why he had bloody gone to check on him, hadn't he? And if Mr. Gorgeous-Eyes hadn't appeared, he'd have sent the old man to the next town straight to a doctor with a promise never to show his face again.

But no, Mr. Gorgeous-Eyes had shown up.

By god, had anybody ever seen such beautiful eyes? Such a vivid green, reminding Nico of his favorite paintings, the ones with the sea in it.  
He had been at the beach only once in his life, back when he was a little child and his mother and sister had still been alive, his sorry excuse for a father still with them.

Anger flared up inside him at the thought of his father, momentarily pushing the pretty boy out of his mind.

But then he thought of the old man – Paul had been his name, if he wasn't all mistaken – and how he had pleaded for his son to leave him behind and save himself, to go back to his mother, came back to the front of his mind.

That was what a father should do. Try to keep his family together or die trying.

Percy.

That was the name of Mr. Gorgeous-Eyes (he should stop referring to him like that).

Suddenly, he had simply been there.  
Nico had of course noticed the sudden silence in the castle, meaning his entire staff had randomly completely stopped talking and tried to act as innocent as possible (the clearest and most obvious indicator something was amiss) and he had of course noticed the riderless horse standing guard (?) at the gate.

He had sent Hazel to fetch it and it hadn't come as a surprise to see Jason and Leo trying frantically to keep him away from his prisoner.

Really, meeting somebody there hadn't been that much of a surprise.

But Percy...Percy had come as a surprise.  
He was Nico's age.  
Well, the age Nico had been when he had been cursed, at least.

Ever since that fateful day he hadn't aged, after all. Nor had his staff, which was why their bodies had been taking from them in the first place.

Because they hadn't been the ones cursed, the magic wouldn't have worked on them to cease their aging. So the witch Hecate had taken their bodies, leaving only their souls behind for the time being, thus giving them that 'ghostly' appearance.

He was still surprised to see them not resenting him already.  
It had been four years after all.

Four long years.

Nico's eyes hushed over to the small table near the balcony, where the black rose stood in its glass case, emitting its usual beautiful, yet horrible glow of magic.  
That cursed rose.  
It had already lost so many petals.

Nico had never had any hope of lifting the curse.

For the sake of his staff, he would have tried, of course. If only there had been anybody he could have tried with.

But now, it only had three petals left.

Time was running out.

He sighed and sat down in his chair, letting his fingertips graze across the glass.  
Not even half a year left.  
Three months, if he was lucky.

Then it would all be pointless.

He knew it already was pointless.  
But why had he taken Percy in?  
There was no way there would be more. The boy must already resent him.

He turned to his small hand-held mirror, taking it gently.  
It was another gift by the witch Hecate to allow him to see the outside world he was not allowed to frequent himself.  
Not that he would ever set foot outside, anyways.

"Show me Paul." He was tempted to check on Percy, too, but he wanted to give him some more time.

It would be dinner time soon, anyways.  
Percy better be there. It had been his only real request, after all.

Percy could do whatever he wanted all day and night long, so one dinner a day shouldn't kill him.

And he better stayed away from the West Wing – here – for his own good.

This was Nico's territory, and his alone.  
The only other people allowed here were Jason and Piper (if Nico was having a good day, that was).  
Too many memories were bound to this place and Nico needed his space to suffer by himself.

The surface of the mirror rippled and changed, showing the inside of a carriage, Paul on a makeshift-bed of blankets, wrapped up tightly and seemingly fast asleep, though tossing and turning around lots, muttering and whining 'Percy' over and over again.

Nico's chest clenched with guilt.  
But then he put the mirror down. At least the old man would live.

He was quite certain Will (the medic in this place) had given him some medicine in secret, and Will's medicine always worked.

His thoughts went to Bianca and his mood went sour.  
Almost always.

He got up, making his way over to the balcony, the doors wide open as always.  
It was almost time for dinner.

He wondered if he should put on any special clothes.  
Looking down at himself, he probably should.

He remembered Percy's blue shirt and felt a sort of itchy feeling in his fingertips.  
Blue was a nice color on Percy.

Not that it was any of his business.

God damn it, what was he doing here?

This was pointless! Futile!

Finding a _girl_ that could love him in some weird way would have already been hard enough.  
But sadly, Nico didn't even swing that way.  
And finding a _boy_ to love him...that was already impossible by itself.  
And for that boy to love _him_ , that was even more impossible.

And Nico couldn't just have anybody declare their love to him.  
He had to love them back.  
Things like that weren't forced.

So why was he keeping Percy?

.

"What do you mean, he's not coming?" Nico's patience was wearing thin.

Very. Thin.

"He's not feeling well, Master." Leo said quietly, not meeting his gaze.

Nico hesitated for a moment, inwardly rushing through the impressions he had had of Mr. Gorgeous-Eyes (seriously, what a horrible nickname).  
He hadn't seemed ill or the like at all.

"What's wrong?" He inquired, catching Leo and Jason exchange a meaningful glance as if they had expected this, but weren't happy about it whatsoever.

"Sir, he's just lost his family, he couldn't even say a proper goodbye to his father. With all due respect, sir, please give him some time to get over the loss." Leo muttered.

Jason sucked in a sharp breath.  
Nico glowered at them both.

What did they take him for?  
Did they think he was an idiot?  
He _knew_ how it felt to lose his family.

Percy's parents were still alive.  
Nico didn't have that privilege, his family was dead.

Did anybody see him skipping dinner, pissing off the master of the house?  
(This was not the time to mention the two weeks starvation he had put onto himself after losing his sister, of course, because that was something entirely different).

"Please, sir, just this once..." Jason put in, stepping forward as if trying to protect Leo from Nico's wrath.

Not that he ever laid hand on any of his staff.  
Or punished them in any special way, other than glaring at them and sending them to do the dumbest things for a week or so.

Maybe he was being too soft with them.  
If he showed them he truly was going to go through with something and to respect him or the worst would happen, then they might actually stop disobeying him all the damn time.

"No. He will come to dinner. At least to make an appearance."

The two boys exchanged a miserable glance. "I'll go and let him know, I suppose..." Leo then muttered defeated and turned into an orb of smoke, soaring out of the room.  
Nico was tempted to catch it and shake it in his cupped hands.

That would definitely rattle some respect into the Latino.

But he didn't, instead turning towards Jason who only sighed loudly and shook his head.

"What?"

"Sir, I don't think it's...wise...to push Percy like that."

Wise. God, how he hated that word. It reminded him of that one girl he had banned to the library (she never wanted to get out of that room, anyways) because of all her 'wise advice'.  
What good had wisdom ever done him? It hadn't saved his mother and it hadn't saved his sister.  
It sure as hell hadn't helped with his good-for-nothing father, either.

"I don't care. I'm the master of the house, he is my prisoner. The rules are simple. No West Wing, no leaving the castle, dinner at 7pm. Is that already too much to ask?"

Jason winced. "No, sir. But please, consider..."

"No." Nico stated simply.

Then Leo showed up again, looking utterly miserable.

"I hope you're here to tell me he'll be here shortly." He said calmly, noticing how his voice still was as emotionless as always.

Good. Because emotions only got in the way.  
Leo bit his lip, shuffling nervously and half hiding behind Jason, who looked around at him in alarm, a silent conversation passing between the two of them in form of one quick glance.

Nico would never understand the connection between those two.

"Actually, he...declines."

Nico's insides flared up with anger and resentment. What?! Why?!

Was he _that_ horrible to look at, _that_ horrible to be around that Percy couldn't even urge himself to join him for dinner?! This was roughly half an hour they were talking about!

Outraged, he stomped towards Leo. "And did the little prince name a reason?" He spat, feeling the temperature around them drop a few degrees with his rage.

Leo made a small whimpering sound, now really hiding behind Jason, who looked torn between squaring his shoulders and cowering in fear.

"He...doesn't want to. He's tired. But he did say he'd join you tomorrow."

"Dining is NOT optional. He doesn't get a say in whether or not he'll join me. He WILL join me. NOW!"

He knew temper was getting the better of him.  
He also knew he'd regret this later.  
But he didn't care.

Jason tried to say something, probably along the lines of 'Please calm down' or the like, but Nico already burst out the room and up the stairs to Percy's room.  
He was fuming.

Percy was his prisoner. How dare he disobey him on the very same day he made the freaking deal to stay here forever?  
He had been willing to rot away in that cell for his father, but he wasn't willing to eat dinner with Nico?  
How unfair was that?!

He felt Jason and Leo following him, calling something after him, but he wasn't listening, stomping towards the big double door to Percy's room.

For a moment, he considered simply running the door in to make a point, but instead, he tried half-heartedly to control his temper and knocked, though it resembled more of a wild banging with enough force to actually _really_ break the door down.

"Why aren't you at dinner?" He asked, his voice louder and a lot more furious than he'd have liked to show.

"I'm not going, sir."

"Whyever not?" Nico pressed out, anger flaring up at the casual, non-bothered voice of his captive.

"I have just lost my parents, my friends, my home and my future as well as my past. I daresay I am not feeling up to dining. But, as I have informed Jason and Leo, I will join you from tomorrow onwards for the rest of my life. All I ask for is one day."

"I said no exceptions!" Nico yelled, kicking at the door in frustration.

"Sir, please…" Jason started, but Nico only gritted his teeth, the temperature around them dropping further and further.

"Just leave me alone for one night!" Percy yelled back from the other side of the door.

Nico growled. "You are my prisoner! Not some royal guest! Thus, you are in no position to be making demands!"

"You can punish me tomorrow, then, your Highness. Just leave me alone!"

Nico kicked the door again, causing wood to splinter off. "Fine! You shall be left alone! STAFF! I hereby forbid you all, ALL of you, to make ANY form of contact with this… _person_! If I find just one whisper floating his way, you will regret it. Prisoner? You will stay confined in this room until I say otherwise. No food, no water. Let's see how much you enjoy being by yourself, then."

He waited a moment for a reply, seeing Jason and Leo being utterly thunderstruck, staring at him in horror.  
Percy didn't say a word.

Satisfied, Nico turned around again, addressing his two main servants. "Watch the door. He will not leave. If I catch him anywhere in the castle - and trust me, I'll find out - then you'll be the ones to feel my wrath first. No food, no water. Do not disobey me again." He said coolly, noticing with immense satisfaction how both of them seemed to shiver slightly, even though they couldn't feel cold anymore.

Then he stormed off to his private chambers in the West Wing.

Why was he keeping this boy anyways?  
It was clear as day that nothing good would ever come out of this.  
He slammed his door, causing several paintings and picture frames to fall off the walls, but he didn't care.

He had stopped caring about dumb pictures years ago.

Then again, he had stopped caring about pretty much anything and everything a long time ago as well.

Why was he so affected by Percy now, then?  
He hadn't really had a proper dinner in over four years, why make a big deal out of it now?  
Nico cursed under his breath and hit the wall, causing some more pictures to fall down.

What a mess.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 03**

It was shortly past midnight, and still Percy couldn't find any sleep.

He had flat out refused to sleep in the bed, so he had grabbed the blanket and made himself comfortable on the small space in front of the window that could be considered something like a broad windowsill.

The outside looked as dark and gloomy as the inside of this castle, but the moon was the same as the one he always saw when he looked out his window in his own room, back in his real home.

It gave him some comfort.

He sighed, getting up from his makeshift-bed and stretched his stiff limbs.

What a day.

It had started so promising, and ended in complete disaster.  
He had also royally pissed off Mr. Ghostly No-Ghost.

Seriously, that guy was scary.  
Percy could have sworn it had gotten a lot colder the more furious the master of the house had been.

What was he? The Ghost King?

Percy smiled against his will. What a fitting name.  
He sighed, pacing his new room in a futile attempt to get warm without needing to lie down again.

He was starving.  
Maybe he really should have eaten dinner with his captor.

Why had he been so upset about this whole thing in the first place?  
All Percy had asked for was one evening by himself so he could mourn his loss in silence.

He would be staying here for the next however many years anyways, so what did one evening matter?

His stomach growled loudly.

Just great.

Well, his last meal had been breakfast with his mother. That was quite a long time ago.  
Maybe he should have at least grabbed something to eat for the ride or something, but he had been kind of in a hurry.  
He tentatively walked towards the door.

This was a castle, after all. There had to be a kitchen.

But everyone here (except the master, apparently) was kind of dead (or undead?), so would he even be able to find any food?  
Plus, with all the servants being ghosts, did that mean they never slept?  
What if they all sat huddled in the kitchen right now, thinking of their past lives and reminiscing about the good old times when suddenly Percy walked in and destroyed their peace and quiet?

He was only going to get them into trouble if the master found out.  
He had explicitly ordered Percy to stay in his room and that he wouldn't get either food or drink.

Blah.

His stomach growled again.  
He groaned and rubbed it, looking towards the window once more. It would be so long until dawn.

Would that guy even let him have breakfast?  
Or would he have to wait until dinner?

Percy turned towards the door, trying the handle.  
The door swung open easily, not making a sound.  
Well, at least he wasn't locked in. And seriously, he really had to find the person who oiled these hinges – and thank him/her.

He sneaked out, carefully closing the door behind him.  
He was still completely dressed in his old clothes, unwilling to use the ones his new wardrobe held. Who knew who they had belonged to before him?

His sword was still inside the room, under the blanket.

He felt bad for leaving it behind, but he was worried it would only make unnecessary noise, plus, he doubted he'd need it.  
He was fairly certain it would be useless against ghosts (or whatever they resembled) and the master of the house would have his head with sword or without.

Tiptoeing down the hall, he made his way to the staircase, trying to remember the way in the dark.  
He didn't dare light a candle or anything, out of fear of alerting one of the servants – or the master himself.  
Percy carefully descended the stairs, wondering where the kitchen would be, anyways.

Oh great. This had been a horrible idea.

In the end he'd find himself in the master's bedroom by accident or something.

Maybe he should just return to his room?

At a loss, he stood there for a moment, staring at the front door, slightly illuminated by the moonlight fighting its way through the high windows.  
He could just try to run for it.

But he had given his word.

It was a deal.

So he'd have to stay.

He would stick to his word.

Even if he didn't want to.

Sighing, he was about to return to his room to waste the next hours until dawn, when he heard low muttering.  
His ears perked up. That sounded like Leo.

"It's still unfair. Not even letting us talk to him. I know he's moody, but he never lost his temper like that before." He complained quietly.

"I wish the boy would have simply come to dinner. I'd have liked to meet him, too. But I know where he's coming from. He had a tough day. We all had." A new, female voice replied.

Percy tried to pinpoint them, tiptoeing towards a door to the left.  
Maybe he'd get lucky and they'd converse about food and the location of the kitchen.

"Those two are definitely off on a rocky start. And I would have so hoped he'd be the one to break the-…" Another female voice started, but suddenly an orb of smoke flew past Percy through the closed door. "Shh! Quiet. He's here." Jason whispered and Percy blinked surprised.

What? Who? The master? Or were they talking about him?  
And what was he supposed to break?

There was an eerily silence, so he figured he might as well make an entrance.  
Opening the door quietly, he stuck his head inside.

"Uh…hello. I'm very sorry for interrupting. I was just…erm…" He muttered, looking around at the faces of the ghosts.

There were Leo and Jason, as well as a young lady their age with brown, deliberately unruly hair and odd eyes that seemed to shimmer in all possible colors that grinned at him wickedly, looking him up and down with interest, and a shorter lady with wild, cinnamon brown hair, cocoa-colored skin and glowing golden eyes, that had Jason's hands on her mouth.  
She must have been the one speaking about breaking something.

Leo looked shocked for a moment, then grinned broadly. "Hi, Percy. I don't think you had the honor of meeting Piper and Hazel yet. So, may I introduce: This beauty queen here is Piper, responsible for tea, food, and, you've guessed it, wardrobe choices and beauty tips. And this adorable lady is Hazel. She's the one taking care of your horse, next to keeping all the jewelry and shiny things shiny and clean. Ladies, this is Percy." Leo introduced and the girls stepped forward, smiling welcomingly.

Percy smiled awkwardly and stepped into the room, reaching out to shake their hands.

"It's nice to meet you." He said lamely, unsure what else to say or do, especially with the two women looking him up and down like that.

"You sneaked out of your room." Jason stated quietly, looking uneasy about something.

Percy shifted. "Yeah…I was hoping if I poke around long enough I might find…food." His stomach growled loudly as if to underline the statement.

"Oh my, you poor thing. I'll get you some food right away." Piper instantly said and was about to hurry out of the room, but Jason stopped her. "Wait, you know what _he_ said."

"I am not about to let him starve." Piper said defiantly.

"She's right. And the master has told us to help him get comfortable and make him feel at home. That includes food." Leo chimed in.

Hazel nodded as well, smiling at Percy reassuringly.

Jason looked doubtful.

"We just have to be careful so he won't find out. Come on, everything will be fine." Piper said cheerfully and Percy noted there was something odd in her voice at the last part. It gave him the distinct feeling that yes, everything was going to be fine, though he had no idea where that assurance suddenly came from.

Jason sighed. "Yeah, alright. But something quick!"

Leo chuckled and took hold of Percy's hand, pulling him after him to another door and downwards, closely followed by Hazel and Piper, Jason bringing up the rear.

.

He was seated at the staff table and Leo made a small whistling sound, whereas suddenly hundreds of orbs came from the walls and turned into ghosts.

Introductions were being made and Percy was fairly certain he wouldn't ever remember all those names in his life, then one by one each ghost hurried off to do something different, most of them busily cooking up the quickest and tastiest meal Percy had ever had, while Leo and Jason kept him entertained all the while, telling him the weirdest things.

He smiled, happily taking another serving of some odd dish he had never heard of before, while wondering whether Blackjack was ok.

"Do you guys know how to make donuts?" He asked off-handedly and silence filled the kitchen, all eyes on him.  
Then all the ghosts started chatting at the same time, filling the room with a sort of buzzing sound and he could see several of them hurrying off into other rooms, coming back with packs of flour and other ingredients.

"Oh, I didn't mean you had to bake them! I was just wondering, because Blackjack loves donuts…" He tried to explain, but the ones at the stoves weren't listening.

Jason and Leo chuckled. "Don't worry about it. They love finally being of use to anybody. The master…usually doesn't eat much. And if he does, it's always the same boring stuff. They love the challenge. If you fancy anything in particular, please feel free to abuse them. They'll worship you forever." Leo explained and Jason nodded.

"Yeah, it's been a while the kitchen has been this…alive."

They chuckled and Percy was served a pudding for dessert, even though he was already quite full.  
He still ate it, melting away at the heavenly taste. "This is amazing. You guys are the best." He exclaimed, causing several of the chefs to blush and fidget awkwardly.

Percy grinned at the lot, already feeling a lot better.  
These people really were nice.

"So, here are your donuts, sir." An older woman said after a long while and placed a tray on the table, utterly overfilled with donuts.

Percy gaped at it.

"Don't you think you overdid it a bit there? How many are those?" Leo asked astounded, taking one of the donuts at the top and eyeing it wistfully.

Percy guessed they didn't have to eat, or maybe they couldn't.  
Since the food was absolutely splendid, he could only sympathize with them all.  
It would surely be the worst to see all this good food and not taste it.

"These are only fifty pieces."

"Only?" Percy asked, not sure whether that was meant to be a joke.

Piper chuckled next to him. "We can smuggle some in your room in case you annoy the master again, if you want. I'm sure Hazel will be happy to give Blackjack some donuts when she checks on him in the morning."

"Of course. Unless you'd rather do it yourself, that is. I already tended to his wounds and he has eaten and drunk without problems, so he seems to be settling in." Hazel instantly went to inform him.

Percy smiled at her. "That's good to hear. I admit I was worried when I first found out he'd stay here with me, but now that I know he's in your hands, I feel a lot better."

Hazel beamed back at him, her golden eyes glowing with warmth and joy.  
How could she be a ghost?  
How could any of these people be ghosts, really?  
They weren't white and transparent (well, maybe a bit transparent, but only if you really concentrated) and they weren't mean or spooky at all.

He so wanted to find out more about all of this.  
About the people.  
About the castle.  
Maybe even about the master.

.

After staying in the kitchen for hours, chatting and joking with the staff and having the best time of his life, Leo and Jason decided to bring Percy back to his room at shortly past 3am.

"Do you think he meant I have to stay in my room until he permits me otherwise, or am I free to look around the castle now? It IS morning, after all, so technically, it's a new day…" Percy inquired, strolling after the two and interrupting their bickering.

Those two always seemed to bicker. But it was a sort of affectionate bickering, so Percy wasn't very worried.  
Quite the contrary, he wondered whether there was more between those two than they let on.

Jason and Leo shared a glance and looked around at him smiling. "Would you like a tour, then?" Leo offered.

Percy's face lit up. "I'd love to. It isn't every day that one stays in an enchanted castle."

Jason froze. "Enchanted? What makes you say that?" He threw Leo a pointed glare, who only shrugged blankly.

Percy chuckled. "Oh, come on. A dark, gloomy castle full of ghost-like staff and a master who looks and acts like a vampire lord? How can that not be enchanted? I really wish you could tell me more about that." He said wistfully, looking around him at the paintings and statues of demons and other horribly cheerful stuff.

"Oh, well, we have orders we really can't break, you know. But I'm sure the master will tell you about it at one point or another during your…stay." Leo explained and Jason nodded.

Percy chuckled. "Maybe. I doubt it, though."

"Give him time. He'll warm up to you eventually. You'll see he isn't half bad once you get to know him." Jason said confidently.

Percy only sighed. He really doubted that. The master seemed harsh, cold and heartless.  
He had just chucked his dad into a cell because he hadn't wanted to freeze to death outside.

How cruel was that?

"Well, only time can tell. But I really would be interested in a tour. That way I will know my way around the place the next time I have to sneak out of my room."

"I'd prefer if you didn't have to sneak out ever again, though." Jason put in, but Leo was all for it, happily counting off the different rooms that could be found in the castle and pointing out sections of wall.

Somehow, the Latino could conjure up fire out of thin air, making it look as if he himself was burning. He did that whenever it was too dark to see those details in the carvings he talked about – or whenever he got really excited.

Percy first thought they might be something like ghost flames, but they really did burn (and singe the hair on his forearm).

Jason sometimes put in some additional information and Percy was happy to follow them around for a while, until they reached a dark and gloomy looking staircase that the two completely ignored, instead focusing intently on some statue on the other end of the hall.

Of course, that staircase immediately held all his interest.

"What's up there?" He asked innocently, placing a hand on the banister.

It was cool and smooth, not a speck of dust anywhere, so it must lead to a place well-frequented.

Leo and Jason looked around in alarm. "What? Where? Oh, that. That leads…nowhere, nowhere at all." Jason said quickly putting an arm around Percy and gently tugging him onwards, while Leo came from the other side, wrapping an arm around him as well.

"Yeah, utterly boring there. There is nothing interesting about the West Wing whatsoever." Leo chimed in.

Percy's eyes widened and he looked back at the staircase. "So that leads to the West Wing?"

Jason whacked Leo across the back of the head. "You idiot."

"Wah, you're so mean…" Leo wailed and let go of Percy to hold his head, though Percy highly doubted he was actually in any pain.

Percy turned back to the staircase, eyeing the darkness at the top curiously.  
He wondered what the master was hiding.

What could possibly be so important or secretive that he wasn't allowed to know about it whatsoever?

He took a step towards it, but Leo and Jason held onto his arms, grinning at him broadly, though their eyes were wary and rather alarmed. "Please, why don't you let us show you something else? We could go see your horse, I'm sure he'll be delighted. And then there's the ballroom, the library, the training room..." Jason tried to win him over.

"A training room?" Percy asked, looking at the two guys with interest.

Could there be a room here where he could train with his sword?

"Oh, yes. It is a large room with lots of dummies and different tools and hindrances to practice all sorts of fighting. If I remember correctly, you own a sword, don't you? Yes, why don't we go check out the training room? You'll love it." Jason said cheerily and Leo nodded wildly, the two beaming at each other in relief and hurrying off.

Percy momentarily went after them, but then he looked around at the staircase once more.  
He was never going to find this place again by himself, much less get them to show him again.

Might as well make the best of it.

Watching Jason and Leo hurry around the corner and out of sight, still chatting loudly, he made his way up the dark staircase.

.

At the top of the stairs, he regretted not bringing a candle with him.  
It was horribly dark and the windows at the end of the hall were all hung with heavy, black fabric.  
He put a hand to the wall to orientate himself and made his way through the hall, looking around him warily and awed at the same time.

There were tapestries on the walls, picturing people and skeletons and ghosts, all held in dark, vivid colors with so much detail Percy stopped in front of a couple and squinted at the artwork.

He usually never cared about such things, but these held a sort of…magic to them.

Like they actually had a meaning to them.

Like memories.

His fingertips grazed ever so gently across the picture of what looked like a young woman outside a carriage in a dark forest, surrounded by dark silhouettes of people with unfriendly, right out demonic faces. The woman looked petrified but stood her ground, while the coachman was hiding beneath the carriage, a skeletal hand bursting from the ground next to him to grab him.

Looking closer, he could clearly see what looked like a sorry excuse for an angel up in one of the clouds, looking miserable and crying, gaze fixed on the woman. He could also see skeletal hands reaching out for her.

It seemed clear she was going to die.  
Percy felt a shiver running down his back, then walked on, looking at the other tapestries.

Then he reached a lonely door at the far end that didn't have tons of useless stuff lying in front of it to block the path.  
He looked towards the staircase once more to make sure he was still alone, then opened the door.  
Somebody had oiled the hinges here as well, since it flew open effortlessly.  
Percy peeked inside, but couldn't see much in the darkness.

He made his way carefully across the room towards big windows, also clad with black fabric. Tugging it aside a bit, he was glad to see the moon was still high in the sky and at a perfect angle to fill the room with a faint glow, illuminating the interior.

Percy looked around curiously.  
There were a lot of empty spaces on the walls that seemed to have had pictures on them not too long ago. Said pictures seemed to be happily littering the ground.  
The rest of the room was as much of a mess.  
Thrown aside chairs and tables, fabric and broken china was everywhere.

Percy frowned and looked at the only place in the room that was clean and tidy: a small table in front of what looked like the open doors to a balcony with a single chair next to it, a black coat lazily hanging over the back.

But what really caught Percy's attention was the flower.

A rose, if he remembered correctly.  
A black, withering rose in what looked like a turned over glass vase.

Percy stepped closer, curiously eyeing it from all angles.

It was glowing. Most definitely glowing.

There seemed to be some sort of…power…radiating from it that Percy didn't understand.  
As he stepped around the small table to get a closer look, he kicked something on the floor, making a small thudding sound as that something collided with the table.  
He winced and looked around him, scared to be found.

He had a very distinct feeling this was exactly what he wasn't supposed to know about.  
Percy picked up the object quickly, glancing down at it fleetingly before fixing his attention back on the rose.

Then he frowned and looked back down.

It was a book. A leather-clad book, looking similar to the journal his step-dad used to carry.  
Curious, he flipped it open, but it was mostly empty, except for the first few pages.  
On the very first page in the top corner was a name scribbled in elegant, yet still messy writing.

"Nico…di Angelo?" He read aloud, his voice a mere whisper.

He flipped the page and a thin strip of folded paper fell out, causing him to almost have a heart attack.  
He caught it and unfolded it, placing the book on the table next to the rose for a moment.

It was a picture.

A man and a woman stood in the center, smiling at the camera, with a young girl and an even younger boy in front of them, grinning broadly, looking as if nothing in the world could ever trouble them.  
Percy's heart did a little somersault as he looked at the boy.

That looked a lot like…but it couldn't be.

It couldn't.

He frowned and folded the picture again, tucking it into his pocket while skimming through the book once more.  
If that photo showed the master of this house and it was in this journal, that meant this must be his journal, right?

He looked back at the name on the first page.

That meant he was…

"What are you doing?!" A voice tore him out of his thoughts and he dropped the journal in terror, nearly knocking the flower off the table, but pale hands grabbed the case and kept it upright.

Percy looked up into Nico's fuming face, rage and disbelief reflecting in those dark orbs.

"I…uh…" He stuttered, unsure what to say or do, but he was absolutely certain he had to get away from Nico. Right now.

He moved backwards, but Nico followed suite, growling menacingly.

"I told you to stay away from here!" He spat, despise and disbelief in every syllable he spoke. The temperature suddenly began dropping and Percy was certain that wasn't because of the cold from outside.

He winced and moved further back, tripping over the stuff on the ground. "I…I'm sorry…" He tried, panic surging through him as he saw Nico's hand darting to his sword, even though he didn't draw it.

The walls and ground began to shake around them ominously, shadows began dancing across the walls as if alive.  
Everything seemed to be reacting to how Nico felt, power and magic radiating from him in waves of darkness and cold fury.

"Get out. OUT!" Nico yelled and the temperature dropped to freezing point.

A small whine escaped Percy's lips, horrified at the cold forcing its way through his clothes and under his skin, hollowing him out from the inside.  
He stared at those dark, anger-filled eyes, deprived of any warmth or mercy.

Then he turned around ran fled.

.

"Percy!" "Percy, wait!" Jason and Leo called after him as he dashed past them to the front door and outside.

He didn't stop, didn't hesitate, didn't even think of considering it for a second.

He didn't care.

There was no way he could stay here.

He ran towards the stables, glad Hazel had told him the way earlier when he had sat in the kitchen with the lot.  
Ripping open the door, he spotted Blackjack right away, the black horse instantly knowing something was amiss and meeting him halfway.  
He swung himself onto his back and spurred him through the open door, ignoring the orb of smoke hurtling through the walls and the small "Percy, please wait!" coming from Hazel as she manifested into a person again.

"I'm sorry." That was all he managed to force out as he directed Blackjack towards the gate and outside, racing into the forest.

The entire castle and the grounds seemed to practically freeze over, the temperature only dropping further and further.  
He spurred on Blackjack even more, who only whinnied confused but kept on going.

That was, until he suddenly broke to a dead stop and reared up, causing Percy to almost fall off if he hadn't flung his arms around Blackjack's neck at the last moment.  
He heard several low growls around him.

Wolves.

Oh no.

He grabbed for his sword, just to grab thin air.

Oh no!

Blackjack neighed in fear, rearing up again as one of the wolves advanced.  
Percy couldn't react fast enough, his hand still searching for the weapon that wasn't there, and he was thrown off the horse.

On the bright side, Percy didn't break his neck and Blackjack didn't bolt.

On the not so bright side, the wolves were closing in on both of them and Blackjack didn't look as if he was going to stick around for too much longer, fear and panic in his eyes.

Percy grabbed a stick in despair, hoping he could somehow protect them.  
Three wolves closed in on him, razor-sharp teeth bared, low growls sounding in the otherwiseley quiet forest.  
Then the first jumped at Percy and he swung his stick wildly, hitting its ribs and sending it flying sideways with a whimper – and breaking his stick.

Great.

He started towards Blackjack, grabbing another stick off the ground as he went, hoping to somehow get back onto his back and get out of here, but the other two wolves started towards him at top speed.  
He narrowly evaded one and hit the next one, then felt his back pressing against a tree and realization slowly set in.

He was not going to make it.

Blackjack reared up again, a wolf on his back seemingly trying to get to his neck, another wolf in front of him, several others close by, distracting the horse from the real threats with growls and fake movements as if to indicate an attack.

And the three wolves were back in front of Percy.

Percy looked at them, the lump in his throat getting bigger.

So this was how he was going to die.

Maybe he should have stayed at the castle.  
Or at least leave Blackjack there.

The three wolves attacked simultaneously and he managed to hit one of them before the second one collided with him, knocking him off his feet into the forest ground.

He tried frantically to roll himself up into a ball to protect his neck and heart, though he knew it was no use.

They'd simply tear him apart.

He braced for the pain, but instead heard a loud whimper and somebody cursing, then the weight was lifted off Percy and a loud thud sounded next to him.  
He stayed curled up into a ball for a moment, half expecting the wolves to come crashing down on him.  
Then he opened his eyes an inch or so, just to stare stunned at the scene unfolding in front of him.

It was Nico.

It was Nico in his dark clothes with his cloak, swinging his black sword with a menacing grace that was both breathtaking and horrifying, slashing at the advancing wolves that now completely ignored Percy.

He saw one single wolf jumping at Blackjack's neck and wanted to yell, scream, throw rocks or something, anything, to save his horse.

Instead, he watched Nico bolt forwards to the horse and around it at top speed, moving his sword in a wide arc as the horse reared up.

Everything seemed to be in slow motion for a moment, Nico ducking his head, narrowly avoiding the horse's hooves, his sword slashing across the wolf's chest. Nico kept moving, away from beneath the horse as Blackjack came back down, snorting appreciatively.

As Nico moved back, Percy caught him glancing at the horse as if checking that it was ok.

That had had to be the most selfless, yet dumbest thing anyone had ever done for a horse, because now Nico was completely at the mercy of the rest of the pack that had easily cornered him while he had heroically saved Percy's horse.

Slashing and stabbing, he held his ground, while Percy still half sat, half laid on the forest ground and stared transfixed at the fight in front of him.

It ended with Nico running his sword through what seemed to have been the alpha wolf, since the other wolves instantly began falling back and whimpering as their leader howled one last time before its body went limb.

Nico panted heavily, lowering his sword as the wolves disappeared back into the shadows of the forest. Then he looked around at Percy.

Neither said a word.

Then Nico clutched his chest, wincing in pain and doubling over.

He seemed to have trouble breathing.  
Percy scrambled off the ground to Blackjack.

This was his chance. He could get away.

Leave this cursed place behind and get back to his family, his old life.  
He looked at Nico, who fell forward onto the ground with a last groan, seemingly unconscious.

Percy hesitated.

What was he doing?

This was his chance! What did he care about Nico?  
He grabbed Blackjack's mane, intending to haul himself onto the horse.

But his eyes darted back to Nico.

He had saved him.  
He had come after him and saved him.  
Even though Percy hadn't been nice to him in any way and disobeyed him, Nico had come after him and saved him.

He groaned in defeat and let go of Blackjack's mane, hurrying over to the young man on the ground.  
He turned him over carefully, noticing some injuries to his arm and side.

Nico groaned in pain, hand on his heart.

His breathing was shallow.

Panicking, Percy tried to haul him up, wondering what it was that caused him so much pain.  
He remembered how the staff had explained to him Nico had to give them special permissions if they were to leave the castle grounds.

What if Nico wasn't permitted to leave the castle grounds?  
What if just being here was killing him?

He put Nico's arm around his neck and got them to Blackjack, urging Nico onto the horse.

Then he swung himself up behind him and spurred the black stallion on, back to the castle at a quick pace, Nico's body ice cold.  
He wasn't exactly sure if that meant anything, but it still made him want to gallop back to the castle.  
But Blackjack was injured and galloping on the uneven forest ground would only risk tripping or Nico and Percy to fall off.  
So they trotted at a quick pace towards the gate.

Percy could see Nico's footprints on the moist ground.

It looked as if he had seriously sprinted after him, making Percy wonder if he had intended to follow him home and drag him back or whether he had really only come for his rescue.

How would he have known?

As soon as he crossed the threshold of the entrance gate to the castle ground, Nico stopped groaning, instead seemingly completely passed out.  
Percy got them up to the front door, then Leo and Jason came hurrying forward, helping him take Nico down.

"You…you came back." Leo muttered awed, gazing at Percy in disbelief as he and Jason carried their master inside, Percy following them quietly while Hazel promised to take care of Blackjack and led him off to the stables.

"Yeah…I guess I did." Percy said, his gaze on Nico's pale face.

.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I had three rules. Three simple rules." Nico said coolly as he stared into the fire, flat out refusing any treatment to his wounds as well as any tea, food or blanket.

He had already sent out his staff after they had kept pestering him.  
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Percy pressing his lips tightly together, saying nothing as they sat in front of the fire in their arm chairs.

"'Stay away from the West Wing', 'Dinner at 7pm' and 'Don't leave the castle grounds'. And somehow, for some reason unknown to me, you don't only break one rule. No. In your very first day here, the very first twenty-four hours you spend here, you manage to break all three of them. Just like that." Nico said, gesturing dramatically, noting how his voice was equally full of annoyance as well as unbelieving admiration.

He had never met a person more skilled at rule-breaking than Percy, and he knew quite a few who had a knack for that.  
Jason and Leo for example.  
Or the Stoll brothers.

Nico moved, trying to sit up straighter, only to wince in pain and hold his side, blood seeping from his claw wounds, though the dark fabric of his shirt didn't show it.  
He noticed Percy move and looked up, watching with narrowed eyes as Percy got up and moved over to the bowl sitting next to Nico, holding warm, clean water and a cloth.  
The boy had already tried to convince Nico to let him help him, but Nico wouldn't have it.

He had rejected Percy's offer the same way he had rejected his staff.

"Come on, at least let me clean your wounds." Percy said determined, grabbing the cloth.

Nico shot him a glare and stiffened visibly.

"No."

Percy ignored him and went to kneel in front of him, tugging on the dark shirt clinging to Nico's body due to the blood.  
Nico growled and slapped his hand away, but Percy repeated the notion. "Don't be like that."

He placed one hand on Nico's thigh, pushing his legs apart some more to get closer, then lifted Nico's shirt to expose the claw marks at his side.  
Nico swallowed hard at the position Percy was placing himself in and scowled at him in distaste, trying to move out of the way.

Just then, Percy pressed the wet cloth against his open wound.  
Nico hissed in pain and shoved Percy backwards. "That hurts!" He spat, holding his side again while Percy fell backwards onto his backside, looking annoyed.

"If you stopped moving and just accepted my help for once, it wouldn't hurt that much!" Percy countered agitated, closing in again.

"Well, if you hadn't run off like that, I wouldn't have to deal with this in the first place." Nico growled annoyed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Percy gritted his teeth. "And if you hadn't shocked me like that and made the castle go haywire I wouldn't have run away." He said with a slightly trembling voice, making Nico hesitate for a moment, wondering if he was thinking of the trembling walls and ground and the dropping temperature.

It was a kind of nasty side effect of the curse that the castle reflected his feelings and emotions.  
He could kind of understand why Percy would get freaked out about that.

"Well, then you should learn to obey orders." He spat curtly.

"And you should learn to control your temper." Percy snapped back.

They glared at each other for a moment.  
Then Percy looked back down and lifted the shirt once more, pressing the cloth to the wound.  
Nico stiffened and his hands clawed the armrest of his armchair, but he didn't push Percy away again, deciding it wouldn't do him good if he kept arguing when Percy was clearly too stubborn to give in.

Not that Nico admitted defeat or anything.

Percy carefully cleaned the wound, washing out the cloth and repeating the notion.

"Thank you, by the way…for saving my life." He muttered after a while, his gaze intently on his hands.

Nico looked at him surprised, but Percy didn't look up, instead focusing on his work.

"You're welcome." He noted himself how his words were soft, not cold and emotionless as usual, and watched as Percy actually looked up to catch Nico's gaze.

God, those eyes. Those beautiful green eyes.  
He met Percy's surprised gaze with no sign of defiance or annoyance, letting him see the real him for just the flash of a second, the ghost of a smile hushing over his face.  
Percy's lips split into a quick smile before he licked his lips faintly, seemingly bewildered about something.

Then he looked down again, his ears turning red. "And thanks for saving Blackjack, I guess." He muttered awkwardly.

Nico chuckled. Actually chuckled. How long had it been since he last chuckled like this? "The horse. Of course, you care about the horse." He commented drily, thinking of the black stallion he had somewhat saved from near death.

It hadn't been the smartest thing he had ever done, but he had acted on instinct.  
Same as it had been instinct to look after Percy as he had bounded from the castle.  
He hadn't intended to stop him, knowing he had lost his chance with him.  
He had accepted the fact Percy would leave and not come back.  
But still, he had checked on him in his mirror, just one last glance.

And thank god he had, else he would have never made it in time to save the stubborn idiot.

He was fairly certain he had never run that fast, nor flirted with death more than he had in those moments as he had left the castle grounds, risking his own life.  
It was a miracle he had survived it, anyways.  
Nico wasn't allowed to leave the castle grounds. The witch Hecate had made sure of that.

So as soon as he had passed the gate, horrible pain had seared through his entire body, as if there was acid in his blood, his heart clenching as if readying itself for a heart attack.

Percy put the cloth back into the bowl with now red-ish water and grabbed the bandages that Piper had left there, the movement pulling Nico back from the memory of the pain.

"Well, he's a good horse…and I really am grateful that you saved him. I saw what you did, you know. That was reckless and crazy, but the most heroic thing I have ever seen." He admitted, making Nico blink surprised.

Nobody had ever called him anything even remotely close to heroic.

"I shall take it as a compliment, then. And, Percy…"

Percy looked up stunned and Nico realized this was the first time he had actually called him by his name.

It had a nice ring to it. Nico liked it.

"Yes?"

"Sorry…for scaring you." Now it was Nico who wasn't looking at Percy, hating how difficult it was for him to speak those words, but hating the fact that he had to say them even moe.

Percy smiled widely, relief showing in his features.

"No problem. It WAS my fault, after all. Partly, at least."

Nico threw him a pointed glance, his lips twitching. Partly? He had to be kidding him.

For a long moment, there was silence, in which Percy finished putting bandages on Nico and looked critically at the end result.

"You better obey me in the future, though." Nico then stated in a cool voice and Percy grinned broadly. "I'll try?"

"You're as bad as Jason and Leo." Nico scowled and eyed the top right corner next to the open fireplace annoyed, where several orbs of smoke were hiding in the darkness.

So much about privacy.

Since Nico had definitely forbidden them to enter the room again after chasing them all out, they had definitely disobeyed another order, defying him again.  
He really had to work on that.  
Still, he decided to turn a blind eye on it this time, mainly because he didn't want to destroy the serene mood in the room right now.  
He eyed Percy quietly as he settled back into his arm chair next to Nico, gazing at the flames with a rather content expression, the fire making his stunning green eyes glow even warmer.

A smile hushed over Nico's face and he leaned back, feeling an emotion rush through him he hadn't felt in a long time: Joy.

.

Luke was royally pissed off. Here he was, proposing to Percy – again, and he actually rejected him – again!  
Him!  
Luke scowled, eyeing his reflection in the beer mug he was holding.

Why would Percy say no?  
He knew Percy liked him.  
How could he not?

Luke had everything. Money, status, reputation, looks…even his scar that his parents had been worried would destroy his handsomeness held a sort of rough sex appeal, making tons of other girls as well as guys fall all over themselves ogling him.

Was Percy just shy?  
He thought of the way the dark-haired beauty had rejected his proposal.

It seemed that way.

Damn it, if it wasn't for Percy's weird parents, he'd be Luke's already! He just knew it!  
Yes, that was the root of the problem.

His parents.

Sally and Paul.

They were simply too…different.

Sally had done the inexplicable and had a child with a man who wasn't her husband and who had died before he could claim her as his wife, being down with a weird incurable illness, thus forcing her to shame herself as well as her bastard-son – if it hadn't been for that weirdo Paul to save her, taking her hand in marriage at the last moment and accepting the child as his own.

And still, the woman hadn't stopped embarrassing the family.

She had had the indecency to actually get herself a job, helping out in that bakery, instead of staying at home and taking care of house and livestock as a righteous woman should.

And that while her husband had a job.  
Though it wasn't exactly anything to brag about.

Professor. Who could possibly be proud to be a professor?  
Paul should have taken up mining or farming, a real, practical job.  
Not teaching unimportant things to little kids that didn't have any use for the knowledge.

Luke would never understand these people.  
If he had it his way, he wouldn't even think about them.

But as it was, he had his eyes set on Percy.

He was the most beautiful lad Luke had ever seen.

Tall, but still shorter than Luke, with a lean built and not too much, not too few muscles, fair skin and dark, wavy black hair, as well as the most beautiful green eyes Luke had ever seen.

He was a true beauty.  
The most beautiful person in the entire town.  
No woman or man could compare to him.

And that was why he would _have_ to be Luke's.

Luke could have anybody.  
Why settle for anybody less than the most stunning one of them all?

Of course, Percy was a bit of work, but Luke was certain he could convince him to see reason.  
Once he was his husband, he certainly wouldn't be running around playing with a sword and talking rubbish about leaving this town.

No, he'd take good care of Luke's home, admiring his hunting skills and taking care of his kills, preparing meals and offering him that mouthwatering body to lose himself in after a stressful day of work.

Yes, Luke definitely liked the sound of that.

All that was between his bright future with Percy were his parents.  
And that could easily be taken care of.

Or he could use said parents to get to Percy.

He grinned to himself, then turned his attention to the person in front of him, whom he had told his awesome plan to.

"So…do we have a deal?" He asked, leaning back in his chair and leisurely taking a sip of his beer.

The man in front of him, a tall and powerful looking person with golden eyes, grinned with pure malice. "Let me repeat once more: You want me to spread rumors, dig into some things, get them completely shunned by everybody, thus ruining their lives, sending them into poverty and despair?" Kronos said calmly, his eyes glinting with evil and joy at the prospect of causing havoc and pain.

Luke sipped on his beer, pushing over a bag of money. "Yes, that sums it up. So, deal?"

"Deal." Kronos announced wickedly, grabbing the bag and letting it disappear in his coat.

"Good." Luke turned to Ethan. "We will get this going immediately. You will go back to their house and keep an eye on them. That woman said Percy isn't home, but he'll have to come back eventually. As soon as he is, come and tell me so we know we can start. I want to save my damsel in distress."

Ethan didn't reply, instead hurrying out of the pub.

Good lad.

Luke drained his beer and slammed the mug on the table. "Another beer!" He ordered, feeling a lot better than in the beginning of the evening.

Soon, Percy would be his.

He could barely wait.

.

Sally brushed off some crumbs off her apron. She was way too agitated to put her mind to work.  
Last night had already been bad enough with the late shift. She had been way too worried to concentrate, causing her to overlook customers and burn a tray of bread, but luckily she hadn't gotten into too much trouble.

She was worried sick about Percy and Paul.

Her insides were in turmoil. What had happened to Paul?

Blackjack had never run from any of them, no matter the occasion.  
And those marks…they had looked a lot like claw marks of a wolf.  
Had they been attacked? Was Paul even still alive?  
Why had she let Percy go?  
What if he was going to get attacked as well?

Such thoughts had been clouding her mind all day yesterday already and it looked as if today wouldn't be much better.  
She had to be strong. Strong and confident.

Like her men.

Paul was tough, he wouldn't let some wolves take him down.  
And Percy wouldn't stop before finding his step-dad. He could defend himself against almost anything, thanks to Chiron's training.

She loved her little boy and the thought of him learning how to wield a sword had at first worried her beyond belief, but now she knew it had been the right decision to encourage him.

He was always so happy whenever he got to train with the old, kind man.  
And Chiron had even given him that sword.  
She would have to say her thanks to him at some point.  
That sword had been the best thing anybody could have ever given Percy and he looked so proud wearing it.

She sighed, thinking of how fast Percy had grown up.  
It seemed like only yesterday that he had sat on her lap, looking at her with big eyes full of fascination and awe as she told him fairytales of princes and dragons (Percy had never cared much for the princesses unless they turned out to be princes that could fight heroically as well – maybe an early indicator that he wasn't going to bring home any girlfriends).

He had always been such a good boy – still was, actually.

A bit of a troublemaker and as stubborn as they came, but he was kind and considerate, trying his best in his very own way.  
She was proud to have him as a son.

And now, he was gone to look for her husband.

Her heart clenched. Paul. What had happened?

She seriously should stop worrying.  
Everything would be just fine...she just had to believe in them...

The door to the bakery was ripped open, the little bell chiming wildly.

"Sally! Sally! Oh my god, Sally! They got him! He got him! I couldn't stop him! I...I couldn't ...oh my god. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Sally. It's all my fault." Paul wailed, rushing over to her and wrapping her into a way too tight hug, squeezing her so hard she momentarily couldn't breathe, much less say anything.  
She tried to push him away a bit. "What? Paul, what happened? Where's Percy? What do you mean?" Then she noticed the feverish eyes and the heat radiating from her husband and the way he shivered with seeming cold. He was wheezing and weak, already on wobbly legs and utterly beside himself.

Whatever had happened, it had taken its toll on him.  
She hurriedly grabbed a chair, pushing him onto it and taking off her work apron before putting her hand on his forehead.

He was burning hot.

"Gone. He's gone. I'm so sorry, Sally. He didn't want to listen. That...that _man_ has him now. I told him to go, to leave, to go back to you and be there for you in my place because I know you need him...but he wouldn't listen. Why didn't he listen?"

"Percy? Paul, I don't understand. Where is Percy?"

Sally saw a few people on the street looking through the windows curiously at the two and her lips pressed together tightly.  
Paul put his face in his hands, coughing and wheezing and apparently sobbing.

" _He_ took Percy in my place, Sally. He is _his_ prisoner now. There is nothing we can do to save him...he's made a deal with the devil, he has..."

Sally's heart sank.  
She heard the door open and looked up to see Luke and Ethan entering the bakery.  
Those were the last two guys she needed right now.  
Sally leaned over her husband, placing her hands on his shoulders gently.

"Who has him? Paul, who is keeping Percy?" She whispered ever so quietly, not wanting to draw their attention.

But Paul didn't notice anyone around him, jumping up and turning on her. " _He_ has him, Sally. The master of that castle. He is like...like a ghost, but no ghost. Like a...like a vampire. A demon - if not the devil himself!" He exclaimed loudly, his eyes wild and mad.

Even Sally had to admit she felt a bit scared of him in that moment.  
For a moment, there was stunned silence, the people on the street as shocked as Sally.

Apparently Paul had yelled loud enough for them to hear it too.

Then Ethan laughed. "A vampire? A demon? The devil? What the hell are you talking about, old man?"

Sally shot him an evil glare, then put her arms around her husband's shoulders gently to get his attention away from the others, who now began muttering about Paul going mad.  
She had to get her husband home.  
Home and to bed.

"Darling, you're running a fever. Let's get you home and into bed-..."

„He took Percy, Sally. Percy told him he'd stay in my place, let that maniac keep him locked up in a cell in my place! I...I failed you, Sally. I failed you as I have failed him. I am so sorry..."

"What do you mean? Who has Percy? Where is he?" Luke's confused voice cut through Paul's wailing and the blonde rushed over, pushing Sally aside rather harshly as he grabbed Paul's shoulder and shook him, demanding an answer.

"He has him...the demon has him. He is still so young, yet so cold. There is no heart beating in his chest. No heart. No mercy. No soul. No emotion. He's pale, so pale, as if he's never seen the sunlight. He has eyes as dark and cruel as death. Yes, death. An angel of death. A demon. And he has taken our Percy."

Luke looked at him utterly dumbfounded for a moment, pulling his hands back so quickly as if Paul had some sort of incurable disease and merely touching him could contaminate Luke.

"What nonsense. Mam, where is Percy?" He rounded at Sally, who blinked surprised, then scowled defiantly. "I don't know. Now be of use and tell Sarah she will have to take over my shift from here. If you don't mind, I'll take my ill and feverish husband home now."

With that, she took her husband and dragged him after her out of the bakery, past all the spectators. The streets were way too busy for this early in the morning.  
She ignored the lot, her focus on getting Paul home without him yelling around about a demonic stranger who apparently held her son hostage.  
She had no clue what to think of all of this.

Paul had never lied to her, had never made things up or anything.  
He was running a fever, yes, but could this really just be fever-talk?

And if so, where was Percy?

Paul was instantly knocked out when she put him into their bed and tucked him in, picking up a satchel of herbs off her nightstand that hadn't been there before.  
It seemed somebody had been in their house while she hadn't been here.  
And since the bed had been unkempt when she had gotten here, she guessed that whoever that somebody had been, he had been the one to bring Paul back and put him to bed, leaving these herbs behind.  
She checked on the stables, but Blackjack wasn't there.  
Then she went to check for any notes or any indicator on who the stranger could have been or where Percy was.

But in vain.

In the end, she sat down at the edge of the bed, placing damp cloths on Paul's forehead every now and then and taking care of him, worry and fear raging beneath her calm composure.

Where was her baby boy?  
Was he ok?  
And who was this demon/vampire person her husband was talking about?


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The next month passed in a blur. Percy had to admit the castle was really fascinating. Since he was raised with livestock to take care of every morning, he was quite the early bird – which meant he was roaming the castle and castle grounds the moment the first sunlight was out.  
He was lucky that the other inhabitants were ghosts (he had decided just to see them as such until a better, more fitting term appeared) else he would have woken them way too many times.  
As it was, they were glad to have something to do again.  
All of them.

You'd think they'd stop being happy about any additional work next to having to keep the giant castle clean, but they loved every bit of it.

Jason and Leo were the ones mainly showing him around inside the castle, while Hazel and Frank (the big guy with broad chest and odd, angular eyes who had carried off his step-dad) showed him most of the castle grounds.

He also met plenty of other staff members.  
They were all nice and fun to hang around with, so Percy soon forgot he was a prisoner and supposed to be miserable.  
As a matter of fact, he laughed more than he had in a long time.  
It felt more as if he was a guest that a prisoner, just that he couldn't just leave.  
Though the thought hadn't crossed him even half as much as he thought it would.  
And not for the reasons he would have imagined.

Of course, he missed home. All of it. The animals, the compact size of their hut, the river close by that you could hear day in, day out and throughout the entire night.  
He missed going into town, missed training with Chiron, missed his friends.

But most of all, he missed his parents.

Whenever he thought of leaving, he didn't want to leave because it was so horrible here – seriously, the people here were great and the food was utterly delicious and living here seemed like paradise, rather than a nightmare – but he just wished he could have his parents here as well, or be with them in general.  
Let them know he was alright while knowing that they were alright, too.

Percy sighed, walking through the empty hallways by himself, not really having any goal in particular.

He liked to get himself lost in the castle.

That way, he usually found the best places.

Percy wondered vaguely what Nico was doing right now.  
He never saw him walking through the castle, usually keeping to his room in the West Wing all day except for dinner.  
Dinner was really the only time Percy saw him.  
Didn't it ever get boring for Nico?

"And where are you going?" A voice behind him asked and he rolled his eyes amused.

"Came out of your library after all, huh?" He teased, turning around to throw Annabeth a mocking grin.

Annabeth was one of the maids like Piper, but she had taken a liking to the library and because of her know-all attitude Nico supposedly had banned her to the library and the library alone.  
She was quite pretty, as tall as Percy with nice tan and curly, blonde hair in a ponytail, as well as stormy grey eyes.  
Percy had taken a liking to her from the first moment they had met – which had been in the library, of course.  
He was sure he hadn't made much of an impression on her and she had been almost defiant towards him in the beginning – until he had shown interest in her talk about architecture.

Hey, this castle was pretty impressive, ok? He wanted to find out everything there was about it, including its built.

She was perfect for questions like that.  
She was perfect for almost any question, really.  
And she was only too happy to answer all his questions, as long as Nico didn't happen to forbid some topics at some point.  
He could be such a fun killer.  
The staff generally disobeyed any order Nico uttered (just looking at Annabeth outside the library right now prove to be another perfect example) but anything about the curse that seemed to lay on the castle, or anything about Nico's past – or about him in general – was completely off-limits.  
It was so unfair.

How was Percy supposed to find out more about the Ghost King if nobody was allowed to tell him anything?  
Ok, maybe he should ask Nico such stuff directly, but he was so _difficult_!  
One moment they'd have an almost normal conversation, then Percy said one wrong thing or seemingly did something wrong and Nico went all mute and back into his shell again.

Not to mention that Nico had insisted on Percy joining him for dinner, when it was more Nico joining Percy to watch him eat.

Nico barely ate.  
That couldn't be healthy.

At first, Percy had thought that maybe the food wasn't to his taste, but somehow it seemed that the food never was to his taste.  
If he ate half of his plate it was a lot.

"Well, I thought it's a nice day, why not take a book and go outside for a walk?" Annabeth said shrugging, holding up a thick novel and pulling Percy out of his thoughts.

He rolled his eyes. "You and your books. You had so much time to read and you're still not done reading them all?"

Ok, the library was massive and there were far more books than Percy could ever even count, plus he didn't have a clue for how long they had been stuck here as ghosts – but it was fun to tease her.  
She made a face and stuck out her tongue. "You first learn how to read before you talk about my reading speed. So, want to join me for that walk or did I look for you for nothing?"

"You were looking for me?"

"Well, duh. What else would I be doing on the other side of the castle? I might have been in that library for four years, but I still know where the front door is, thank you very much."

His ears perked up.  
Four years?  
She had definitely said she had been stuck in the library for four years.  
Did that mean they had been stuck as ghosts for four years already?

No wonder the staff was delighted about having him here.  
He certainly would crave a change if he had been stuck here for four years doing the same tedious things every single day.

"Sure, I'll come. But I'm not going to sit down and read."

Annabeth only chuckled and they walked next to each other towards the front door, not passing anybody on the way, but that wasn't very surprising.  
It was still fairly early in the day, so most of the staff was probably either in the kitchen or cleaning some distant part of the castle.  
Annabeth kept showering him with all kinds of semi-interesting things she had read about last night (how could a single person read so many books in one night?), while he only barely listened, slipping into his coat before the two stepped outside.  
The castle was always nice and warm nowadays, but out here it was beginning to get pretty frosty.

An early winter, it seemed.  
Percy hoped his parents had enough hay and straw for the animals.

Annabeth poked him in the side. "Would you listen when I'm talking to you?" She chided, looking both annoyed and bemused.

Percy only sighed and tried to focus back on the conversation.  
He liked to hear her talk, especially since what she was talking about actually was interesting, though he would never admit that.  
But the truth was that when she was done with talking about her books, she would always let Percy ask anything he wanted to know about – and that's what he was most interested in.

He wanted to know so many things.

They walked around the small pond the castle had and then onwards to a bench beneath a big pine tree where they sat down, Annabeth still telling him about the differences of the buildings depending on the time they were built in.  
She loved talking about buildings.  
He leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand and watching her talk, faintly wondering how it would be like if Nico actually talked that much.

He also wondered what Nico would talk about.

He didn't seem passionate about anything, really.  
In general, Nico didn't show any form of emotion.  
It was as if he refused to acknowledge their existence, banning them from his system as if they were mere staff that he could order around.

Percy unwillingly smiled at the thought.

"Ok, I can see you're drifting off. You have that dreamy expression on your face again. So, I guess it's time for your turn. What is it you want to know today?"

Percy didn't have to think long. "How come there's fresh meat for cooking, but there isn't any livestock?"

Annabeth blinked for a moment, staring at him. Then she laughed. "You're so weird."

"What? I grew up with livestock and we didn't eat meat even half as much as it's served here. I just don't get it."

Annabeth still chuckled. She had that cute way of chuckling where she pulled her hand up and partly hid her mouth behind it.  
Not that he really felt anything for her.  
She was a cool friend. And an even better encyclopedia.  
He only knew her for some weeks now, but she already felt like some sort of sister to him.  
Anyways, he liked her, but not in a romantic type of way.

Then again, he was gay, so yeah, wasn't going to happen anyways.

He looked away, back towards the castle and caught a movement further up.  
Nico was standing on his balcony, arms leaning on the railing.  
Percy gazed up at him, unsure whether to be surprised or not at seeing him up so early.  
His insides went into turmoil, his heart beating faster for unexplainable reasons.

For a moment, their eyes seemed to meet.  
Though it was difficult to tell at this distance.

Still, Percy felt a jolt run through him at that moment and he acted without thinking, raising his arm and waving.

Nico stared back unmoving.

Percy felt embarrassment rush through him and dropped his arm, wondering how stupid he must look and why the hell he had done that in the first place.  
Just as he was about to look away ashamed, Nico moved and Percy found himself unable to tear his eyes away.  
The way Nico straightened up, pulling his arms back from the railing and tilting his head ever so slightly was simply mesmerizing for reasons Percy would probably never understand.  
Then he actually raised his hand ever so faintly and waved back slightly, barely noticeable, but too distinct to be mistaken for anything else.

Percy's heart did a little somersault in his chest and a stupid grin spread on his face that didn't even go away when Nico abruptly turned around and went back inside.  
Percy stared up at the balcony for some more moments even though there was nothing else to be seen there.

Then Annabeth nudged him. "What was that about?" She asked, a teasing grin on her face, her stormy eyes ablaze.

Percy felt his ears getting hot and looked away, scratching his neck. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't. So, anything else you want to-..."

"There you are, Percy. And there I thought you got lost in the castle again. See, Jason? I told you he'd be fine." Leo interrupted them, appearing out of nowhere as usual and flopping down on the bench beside Percy, wrapping an arm around him leisurely.

"Yeah, yeah. I didn't say he wouldn't be. I only said we'll have to look for him soon if he doesn't reappear, else the rest of the staff will throw a tantrum about not having to cook." Jason corrected him, also materializing out of thin air and nodding towards Percy, who only rolled his eyes bemused at the two and nodded back.

"I'm fine. Annabeth thought a stroll through the castle grounds would be nice, so I accompanied her."

"Oh? I hope we weren't interrupting anything." Jason immediately said, cautiously eyeing the two.

Percy frowned, wondering what he was playing at, but Annabeth only laughed. "Oh, no. We were only enjoying the view." She assured him, poking Percy in the side again with a knowing smirk.

He blushed. She couldn't possibly be referring to Nico, right?

Leo poked his cheek. "You're getting all red in the face. Maybe we should head back inside before you catch a cold. Come on, you can go back outside later. Did you know there's supposed to be snow soon?"

And thus, he got dragged back into the castle, looking up to the vacated balcony one last time before it went out of view.

It stayed vacated.  
Percy shrugged the feeling of disappointment off.  
He would see Nico later, anyways.

No big deal.

Why would he be upset about that at any rate?

.

"He seems to be getting along quite well with Annabeth, huh?" Nico asked thoughtfully, putting his chin on his hand as he observed his dark-haired prisoner chatting animatedly with the blonde girl, walking across the now white grounds.

It had actually snowed overnight.

"Yeah, they're good friends." Jason said quietly, leaning against the railing next to Nico.

"That's...nice."

Jason threw him a quizzical glance. "I do believe they are only friends. Neither of them have made any inclination of wanting more."

"And what would I care about that?" Nico said darkly, though he had to admit he felt a bit relieved.

Though not for long.

"Do you think he's...happy? I don't mean with her. I mean in general. Being here." Nico asked after a while, trying to make it sound like a casual enquiry.

He had been watching Percy a lot lately, though he was fairly certain Percy didn't notice.  
Then again, he made sure Percy wouldn't.  
He simply didn't know how to actually talk to Percy and being around him without saying anything was just so...uncomfortable. Awkward.

Not to mention pathetic.

Jason hesitated, pushing back from the railing and straightening up again, looking thoughtful.

"He seems...cheerful. I can't really speak for his happiness, but he seems to enjoy his stay."

Nico nodded quietly, watching Percy take a handful of snow and throwing it at Annabeth, hitting her straight in the face.  
A smile hushed over his face that disappeared again instantly as Annabeth grabbed snow herself and rushed after Percy.

He'd like to be down there right now.  
Which was odd, because he never really wanted to go outside, other than on his balcony.

But watching Percy having so much...fun...Nico found himself wanting to join in.  
Have fun with him, rather than watch him from afar.  
But he knew he shouldn't.

In that moment, the dark-haired boy looked up, eyes seemingly searching for something.  
Then he saw Nico.

Nico swallowed hard, trying to control the emotions welling up inside him that he had kept down so well these past years.  
Percy's face split into a bright smile and he waved, the same way he had done the day before.  
Nico looked around frowning, wondering anew whether it was him Percy was waving at.  
He met Jason's gaze, who an eyebrow raised and a stupid grin on his face and Nico scowled, turning towards his little prince again.  
Percy now had his head tilted slightly, the smile slowly sliding off his face.

Awkwardly, Nico lifted his own hand ever so faintly and waved back quickly, wondering how stupid he must look right now.  
Percy's smile was back, even brighter than before.

And Nico felt his lips twitching, wanting to smile as well.  
Just for one small moment.

Then he watched how Percy suddenly blushed furiously, looking sideways at Annabeth clearly flustered and thus breaking off the eye contact to Nico.

Nico pushed himself away from the railing. "Jason, I have decided." He stated determinedly.

"Yes?" The blonde inquired, his gaze stuck on Leo, who was now running after Percy laughing loudly, snow melting in his naturally warm hands as he tried to get to Percy before it was completely gone.

"I want to do something for Percy. What does he like?"

Jason blinked, tearing his gaze away with awful reluctance. "Pardon?"

"I want to do something for him. Give him something. Something special. What does he like?"

Jason gazed at him stunned for a moment. Then a sly smile spread on his lips.

"Oh?"

"No 'Oh'. Don't you even dare go there." Nico warned, scowling deeply

Piper knocked on the balcony door, making her presence known.

"Oh?" She teased and he shot her a warning glare.

"Don't YOU go there, either. Anyways, any ideas?"

"How about you ask him yourself, your Highness?" Piper offered with a mock bow, but he only made a face.

"Oh, come on. I'm sure he'd be delighted to talk to you more. He's been trying to get all of us to tell him more about you, after all." She confided with a wink.

"He...really?" Nico asked, surprised.

Percy had never shown much interest in him as a person.  
And since Nico wasn't a very open person to begin with (one would have never guessed), there hadn't really been any good opportunities to ask Percy anything in return either.

"Yeah. He asks about you, about the castle, about the curse...he asks so many things." Piper mused.

"Yes, yes he does. So many questions." Jason agreed, shaking his head as he seemed to think of all the things Percy had inquired about.

Nico found a small smile playing on his lips. Yes, the boy had a lot of questions.  
He had noticed that as well during dinner.  
Nico could almost picture him as a little kid, asking his parents things like 'Why is the sky blue?' 'Why is the grass green?', trying to discover the secrets of the universe.

Adorable.

"Did you hear what he asked Annabeth yesterday? 'Why is there fresh meat but there's no livestock?'. Can you believe it? He's so endearing. If you gave him enough time, he'd question everything in the universe, expecting us to hold all the answers." Piper chuckled and Nico found himself agreeing.

He wished he could answer all of Percy's questions. Still his thirst for knowledge.  
But some things were better left unsaid.  
Not the meat part, though. He should probably explain to Percy that they did buy that in a normal, legal way and there wasn't anything fishy about that whatsoever.

"So, back to possible ideas, please." He said quietly and their grins broadened as they eyed him knowingly.

"Well, there's always poetry, pralines, dancing." Jason offered.

"No." He sucked at poetry, had no clue whether Percy even ate chocolate, and he couldn't dance for the life of him.

Nico looked back down to Percy, now in a heap of snow with Annabeth and Leo showering him with even more.  
Maybe he really would join him...later.  
Next year, for example.  
By then, things had to have improved, after all, and maybe they'd be able to talk by then.

"I think I have an idea." Piper suddenly piped up, her kaleidoscope eyes ablaze.

"Yes?" Nico asked, trying to suppress the hopefulness in his voice.

"Oh, I'll tell you, alright. But first, you should get down there and spend some more time with him and talk. It'll look weird otherwise, giving him something without ever really spending time with him."

Nico blinked and scowled, generally not liking receiving orders from his subordinates.  
But whether it was that magical power of Piper's voice (which he liked to think – even though he knew he was kind of immune to it) or because he just so happened to want to do the same thing anyways, he let this pass and sighed.

"Fine. I fancied a walk anyways." He said with a bored voice, but had a feeling he wasn't fooling anybody, judging by the knowing smirks on their faces.

"Good. Jason, you might want to accompany him." Piper ordered curtly.

"Why?" Jason asked frowning, suddenly looking uneasy.

"Well, because you've been avoiding Leo lately and I don't want another night full of his wailing about you ignoring him." Piper rolled her eyes.

"He talked about me?" Jason asked bewildered, yet also slightly hopeful.

Now it was Nico's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm surrounded by lovesick idiots." He muttered, catching Piper's wistful glance towards a certain blonde playing in the snow.

Piper winked at him. "Talk about the pot calling the kettle back."

Before he could think of a suitable punishment for her impudence (and the fact that she had actually made him blush, that traitorous, disobedient maid), she was already gone, leaving behind a wide-eyed Jason and a deeply scowling Nico.

"One of these days I'm going to teach you all some respect." He muttered darkly and left the balcony, closely followed by a smirking Jason.

.

Percy was about to go back inside, still flustered about Annabeth's last and completely untrue and utterly mean remark, when the front doors swung open and three people stepped out.  
He heard Annabeth's sharp intake of breath and found himself doing the same thing when he realized one of the three was none other than Nico himself.

Nico.

Outside.

He guessed that Annabeth was shocked about that herself and expected some sort of punishment for leaving the library, but when he glanced at her, her eyes were practically glued to Piper.  
The three descended the stairs towards them and Percy couldn't take his eyes of the Ghost King, striding directly towards him in his usual brisk manner.

Had he done something wrong?  
Why would Nico be out here?  
He must have done something wrong.

"Good day, master." Annabeth greeted with a light bow and an amused smirk playing on her lips that Percy couldn't place.

Nico shot her a wary glance and sighed, but then fixed his attention to Percy again, running him up and down for the fraction of a second.

That fraction of a second was all it took, though, for Percy to get goose bumps all over his body and his heart to beat much faster than it should, suddenly feeling self-conscious and regretting playing around in the snow so much.

He must be such a mess.  
Percy opened his mouth, still unsure what to say, but fairly sure something would occur to him in time, but right then Leo rushed past him and towards Jason.

"You! I was looking everywhere for you! I thought you were avoiding me! What's your excuse this time?" He called and jumped at Jason, much to Jason's horror, who instinctively opened his arms to catch him – needless to say, they both got thrown back into the snow.

Percy wondered vaguely whether Jason couldn't have simply turned into an orb of smoke to prevent this, when he realized that maybe Jason hadn't wanted to prevent it.  
The thought made him smile.

He looked back to Nico, finding him looking vaguely amused as well before his eyes searched for Percy again.

Their gazes met.

Percy tried again to say something, and was again interrupted – this time by Annabeth, who cleared her throat and fidgeted slightly, moving closer to Percy, eyes fixed on Piper again.  
Piper gazed right back, an almost hungry expression on her face, but she didn't do or say anything.  
Percy looked sideways at his friend, raising a teasing eyebrow. The blonde caught his glance and looked rather miserable, seemingly uncertain what to do for once – which wasn't like her at all, because she generally had a plan for anything.  
He grinned, placing a hand on her lower back and urging her forward with him.

"Hey. Piper, what a coincidence, we were just talking about you. And good day, sir. It's a surprise to see you outside. Is everything alright?" He casually tried for conversation and immediately felt Annabeth pinch him rather rudely in the butt, making him grimace in pain for a moment, though he tried to play it off as a grin.

Leo and Jason had gotten off the ground and were talking heatedly, but nobody was paying them much attention.

"Y-You did?" Piper asked, utterly surprised.

They really hadn't. Whenever Percy had mentioned Piper, Annabeth would get that faraway gleam in her eyes and stop talking and listening completely, stuck in her own little world.  
She was cute like that.

Annabeth opened her mouth to say something, but Percy cut in quickly. "Yeah. The weather is so nice and the scenery so pretty we were thinking of getting you to tag along. But she thought you wouldn't be up for, like, a nice stroll around the pond with her, so-..."

"I'd love to!" Piper immediately exclaimed, looking hopeful.

Annabeth next to him stiffened and her eyes widened slightly. "Y-You do?"

"Yes! Absolutely. Let's go." Piper nodded wildly, starting forward and grabbing the blonde's hands before dragging her off, a bright smile on her face and a soft blush on her cheeks.

Percy chuckled after them, noticing Nico coming closer.  
He had been utterly quiet during the exchange – which was a shame, because Percy really had hoped for an answer as to why he was outside.  
Not that he was complaining.

He looked around at him, only now realizing that they were alone now.  
Oh no. How had that happened?

Nico had an amused gleam in his eyes. "Playing matchmaker?"

Percy put on an innocent expression. "I have no idea what you're talking about, sir."

Nico only raised a cynical eyebrow.

Silence.

"So, erm, what are you doing here? It really _is_ a surprise to see you outside the castle...or apart from dinner, that is." Percy asked, wondering what the hell he was supposed to be doing with his arms.  
They were just...there. Uselessly at his sides. Could he just put them somewhere where it didn't look pathetic or weird?

Nico stiffened visibly and Percy inwardly cursed.  
Had he said something wrong?

"Is that bad? Seeing me apart from dinner?" Nico's cool and quiet voice was the same as always, yet Percy could detect a hint of caution in his words.

"No! Absolutely not. It makes for...it makes for a pleasant change, sir."

Nico nodded quietly and there was that awkward silence again.  
Damn it, why could Percy talk to anybody in the castle except the one person he wanted to talk to?  
Just his luck.

"Would you take a walk with me?" Nico then uttered rather quickly, not meeting Percy's eyes and Percy's heart did a somersault.

No, he shouldn't think much of this.

"Yes! I mean...sure. If you wish to, sir."

"You can stop calling me sir." Nico said quietly and began walking, apparently expecting Percy to follow.

Percy wasn't sure how to place that comment. Was Nico annoyed with him calling him sir? Everybody else called him sir or master, so Percy had assumed he had to, as well.

"Ok. What am I supposed to call you, then? Master? Captor? The Ghost King?"

The last part had slipped. Percy inwardly cursed himself, feeling the heat rise in his face.  
Nico stopped dead and looked around at him, frowning for a moment.

"The Ghost King?" He repeated slowly, testing out the words as if trying to weigh them, analyze them and see how well it sounded.

Percy licked his lips awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.  
"It's...a name that came to mind before I found out your name, sir...I mean master...I mean...whatever..." He tried to explain but broke off, now clearly flustered.

He was making such a fool out of himself, wasn't he?  
To his surprise, Nico's lips twitched amused and there was a rather satisfied gleam in his eyes.

"Really? It sounds...interesting. I like it."

Percy let out a relieved breath, his muscles relaxing again and they resumed walking.

"But what do you mean with 'before you found out my name'?" Nico then asked after a while.

Percy bit his lip. He hadn't tried using 'Nico' yet, even though he had been tempted to countless times.  
But he hadn't. Not even with the staff. It just felt as if he needed special permission to use that name.  
It wasn't as if they were friends or anything, after all.  
And if not even the staff dared to use his real name, then Percy sure as hell wasn't permitted to use it.

"Well, your name." He muttered, gesturing helplessly.

"You know my name?" Nico asked, raising an unbelieving eyebrow.

"Nico. Nico di Angelo." Percy replied instantly without thinking.

Nico's face darkened and Percy instantly regretted saying anything at all. He should have simply said something like 'But I like calling you sir' or 'Whatever you wish, my lord' or something stupid like that instead of letting 'Ghost King' slip.  
It certainly would have prevented this whole mess now.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, sir. I found the name in a...journal...when I...well..." He tried to explain, but Nico only held up a pale, bony hand.

"Whatever. I don't want to know. That night is behind us now." He said curtly and Percy nodded hesitantly, not knowing what exactly to make of this.

He also still didn't know what to call him.  
They walked on in silence, deciding on the path along the fence as to not disturb the others.

Percy still didn't know why Nico was out here in the first place, but he decided against asking him again.  
If he had wanted to tell Percy, he would have done so, after all.  
He guessed this would be a great time to make some casual conversation and get to know Nico better.  
Sadly, his mouth was dry as sandpaper and there was a thick lump in his throat.

Sometimes, his body really did turn against him, it seemed.

"So...how do you like it here?" Nico asked quietly, eyes on the snowy path in front of them.

Percy mimicked him. "It's...nice. The castle is fascinating. There's so much to discover and find out about. I'm surprised the staff isn't already fed up with looking for me every few hours. They seem to think it's a form of hide and seek."

"Yeah, I've heard you have a knack for getting lost. I've also heard you're regularly bombarding them all with questions." There was no accusation in his words.

If anything, it seemed Nico was merely amused by this.  
He seemed to be amused by almost anything and everything Percy did, really.  
Percy just wasn't sure whether that was good or bad.

"Well, there's so much I don't understand. Of course, they never tell me anything I really want to know about, because you've made it off-limits..."

"For good reason." Nico scoffed.

"...but they are doing their best to...how did Annabeth put it...quench my thirst for knowledge?"

Nico didn't say anything for a moment. "You...I also heard you are asking around a lot about me." He then said cautiously.  
Percy's heart sank to somewhere around his knees.

Oh no. How embarrassing.  
Who had told on him?

Probably Jason. He was the only one who truly ever talked to Nico and he was also the one who took his orders by heart (more than the others, at least).  
That traitor.

"Well...yeah, I suppose I did. I was curious. But they didn't tell me much." He admitted quietly, kicking at some snow.

They had stopped walking, just standing in front of each other beneath a big, snow-covered willow that seemed to be one of the few trees on this side of the fence.

"You could always ask me." Nico's voice was still quiet and controlled as usual, but Percy could swear he detected a hint of...disappointment.

As if he had hoped Percy would get that idea himself.

Now his heart leaped to his throat. "I...I could? I mean, sure then. I will. Erm...if that's ok."

God, why was he rambling nonsense again?  
He had never been like this with anybody.

Nico looked him straight in the eye, the first time he deliberately searched for real eye contact and kept it up. "I'd like that."

Percy swallowed, lost in those dark, bottomless eyes.  
He had never seen eyes like that.  
It was so odd, for they seemed so cold and emotionless and cruel, yet Nico wasn't like that at all.

Though he wasn't entirely sure who Nico was, either.  
He was unfathomable, that was for sure.  
Unfathomable, with that air of mystery around him, unwilling to let people too close.

 _Mystery_. Yes, Nico di Angelo was a mystery.

And the way he stood there, dark shirt, dark pants, and that dark coat, looking at him with that studying expression again – it was weird.  
Not bad weird, not good weird, just...weird.

Different.

And it always seemed as if nothing, absolutely nothing, could ever get to him.  
In that very moment, snow came raining down on Nico, covering him from head to toe in white.

Percy simply couldn't help himself – he broke down laughing.  
The best part was Nico's face, incredulity written all over it as he just stood there, hands still in his coat pockets, snow all over him.

"Oh my god." Percy laughed, clutching his stomach and falling sideways into the snow, almost beginning to cry – scratch that, he was crying.

It was just too funny.  
Especially given that Percy had just thought there was nothing that could get to Nico, and how untouchable he was.

This was almost too normal to be happening to Nico.

"I don't see what's so funny." Nico remarked drily, brushing off the snow off his shoulders and shaking his head in a futile attempt to get the snow out of his hair.

Percy tried to stop, but then started chuckling and laughing all over again.

"S-Sorry, but...it was just...too funny. It's so...you just seemed so...your face..."

"My face?" Nico frowned, holding out a hand to Percy.

Percy took it and let him help him up before realizing they had just touched for real for the first time ever since Nico had placed his hand on his cheek that very first night they had met.  
Nico looked equally surprised, though his expression turned guarded again right away.

"Yeah, your face. You always seem so dignified and distant, always keeping your emotions down. But the way you just looked, like 'What the...how and why had that just happened?'...it was just too funny. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh at you."

"Hm, I see."

Percy sighed, but didn't say anything. For a long moment, there was silence, in which Nico eyed the tree warily (as if he expected the tree to strike again) and Percy brushed off the snow off his own pants.

"I'm sorry." Nico then said so quietly Percy almost didn't hear it.

Then again, even though he heard it, he couldn't quite wrap his mind around it.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"I do not...it is difficult for me to talk to people. I'm sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable."

Percy blinked surprised. "Not at all. Is that why you're always so quiet? I thought you simply didn't enjoy talking to me, to be honest."

"Do I leave that impression?" Nico's voice seemed…cautious. Almost uncertain.

"Well, you are...erm...how do I put this..." Percy started, trying to find the right words.

"Scary? Weird? A freak?" Nico offered drily, his face expressionless.

Percy frowned. What? "Actually, I more meant to say 'mysterious with an air of superiority that leaves one not knowing how to deal with you'."  
Nico seemed surprised. Genuinely surprised.  
And somewhat relieved.

Percy smiled at him.  
Then a snowball hit him in the back of the head and he looked around, scowling.

"Annabeth! Down with you!" He cried and grabbed for some snow himself, throwing it at the blonde laughing loudly some few feet away, but Piper took the blow for her heroically and dragged Annabeth off towards the house quickly, both of them making faces at Percy.

Percy stuck out his tongue and looked back at Nico, trying to get the snow out of his messy hair, thus making it even messier.  
Nico looked from the front door to Percy, a thoughtful expression on his face.  
Percy felt even guiltier for laughing at Nico now, regarding the fact that Nico wasn't laughing at him for getting hit by snow.

"You're getting along quite well with her, huh." It wasn't exactly a question. More of a statement, really.

Percy shrugged, wondering whether he hadn't already answered this before.

"We're friends."

"You seem to be friends with most of the staff."

Percy chuckled. "I guess so. It's easy to befriend them. They're all so nice and fun to hang around with."

Nico looked down and kicked at some snow. "Oh."

He vaguely wondered if he had said something wrong.

"So it's fun to get hit by a snowball?" Nico questioned, clearly unimpressed.

"Not really, but it's fun throwing them at people. Have you never had a snowball fight?"  
Nico looked at him with a similar incredulous expression as he had had when the tree had showered him in snow.  
Percy hesitated, unsure whether that meant 'Of course not' or 'Are you mad? Everybody had snowball fights at some point of their lives'.

"No." Nico then enlightened him flatly and looked away.

Percy eyed him quietly for a moment.  
Then his face split into a grin split and he bent down, collecting some snow.

"Here." He said, passing Nico a small snowball.

Nico actually took it, though he only stared at it with one raised eyebrow, seemingly unsure what to do with it.  
"Well? Throw it."

Nico raised another eyebrow, now looking at Percy, though his head was still cast downwards.

"At what?" He asked quietly and Percy chuckled, looking around him.

He spotted Jason and Leo, both standing in front of each other with arms crossed and seemingly in a heated argument.

"How about them?" He offered, quite sure that neither of them enjoyed arguing with the other much, so he doubted it would do any harm.

"They don't look like they're in the mood for games, though." Nico remarked, making Percy smile broadly at him.

"I knew it."

„What?" Nico asked, frowning deeply and seemingly thinking over his words.

"You are actually quite the considerate person, aren't you? Beneath your mask of indifference."

As a reply, Percy received a snowball straight in the face.  
He chuckled and shook his head widely, making snow fly everywhere while Nico emitted a small sound between a snort and a laugh.

"You're right. It IS fun to hit somebody with snowballs." Nico agreed and went to pick up more snow, causing Percy to laugh and dance sideways towards the willow, Nico following him with a wicked expression on his face.

"Oh no, you don't. If you hit me again, I will-..."

Nico threw the snowball at him so fast Percy got a mouthful.  
But instead of scowling, he laughed heartily, spitting out snow and diving behind the tree, grabbing for snow himself.

"That's it! This means war! Bring it on, Ghost King!" He exclaimed and the next moment, the best snowball fight in Percy's entire life started.

.

"Snow is cold." Percy sulked, sitting in front of the open fireplace with a thick, blue blanket wrapped around him, sniffling slightly.

Nico snorted, sitting next to him with a matching black blanket.

"Took you a while to figure that out."

Percy made a face, but then grinned. "That was fun, though."

"Yeah, it was." Nico agreed, smiling rather fondly, his gaze on the fire.

Who would have thought it could be so much fun to be outside?  
He glanced over at Percy, who grinned into the fire stupidly.  
He looked so adorable in that blue blanket. The color really suited him.  
It seemed to be his favorite color, since he generally wore at least one blue piece of clothing.

"Tea?" Piper asked cheerfully, walking into the room with a serving cart with tea and biscuits.

Percy's eyes lit up. "Sure. Thanks a lot, Pipes. Where's Annabeth?"

Nico inwardly cringed. How come Percy got along so great with practically everyone?  
He was closer to his staff than Nico had ever been, and he knew these people all his life already.  
Plus, why Annabeth? Why hadn't he inquired after Jason or Leo or anybody else in the castle?  
Why the pretty blonde?  
It was maddening, not knowing whether he could get his hopes up or not.

Of course he couldn't.  
He knew it would be pointless.  
But he just couldn't help it sometimes – like earlier, when Percy had taken his hand and let him pull him up.

That had been so normal, so natural.  
Nico hadn't even realized he had held his hand out until Percy had grabbed it.

But Percy had. He hadn't flinched or pulled back or acted weird about it – quite the contrary.  
He had seemed grateful and positively surprised.

And he had described Nico as mysterious, not creepy.  
That had to mean he wasn't scared of him, right?

That they could be...friends?

He thought of their snowball fight, of the way Percy had laughed heartily and run either away or after Nico, showering him as well as letting him shower him.  
It had been so...normal.

He had loved it. Every moment of it.

Especially that last bit where Nico had caught up to Percy, about to push the snowball in his face when Percy had toppled over, tearing them both down into the snow, Nico on top of him.  
Percy had simply lied there, sprawled on his back, arms over his head, laughing and looking up at Nico with those stunning green eyes of his, a gleam in them Nico couldn't identify.  
He had made no inclination to flee or distance himself in any way, just looking up at him and Nico had found himself laughing and looking back, wondering how long it had been since he had felt so good.

Happy. Elated.  
It had felt great.

Getting off Percy hadn't felt that great, but it had been necessary. He didn't want to push himself onto the boy after all.  
It was bad enough he kind of kept him here against his will.  
But he couldn't make himself let him go.  
Of course, he had a fleeting hope that Percy might actually stay (maybe to find out all those secrets about the castle?) but he highly doubted it.

The moment Nico would say 'You're not my prisoner anymore. It is your decision to stay or go', Percy would be gone.  
He just knew it.  
So he didn't say a thing.

"Oh, she's back in the library. That reminds me, she gave me a book to give to you. Said you really HAVE to read this one, no excuses." Piper informed Percy, passing a cup of tea to them both.

Nico looked around at a scowling Percy. "Really? Oh man, I hoped I could get around reading." He sulked as Piper nodded and passed him a book.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" She then asked them both, but they only shook their heads, Nico trying to crane his neck to read the title without making it too obvious.

Percy still caught him and chuckled, holding up the book for him to see.

"It's a novel. And a long one to boot. How am I ever going to read that?" The boy complained, sighing in defeat as Piper disappeared.

"You could simply not read it if you don't want to." Nico said frowning, but Percy shook his head.

"It's not like I don't _want_ to read, it's just..." He started, gesturing with his arms and thus causing the blanket to slide off his shoulders.

He sighed and pulled it back up, wrapping it tightly around himself. "It's difficult."

Nico still frowned, watching Percy stare into the fire with what seemed to be disappointment.

"You _can_ read, right?" He decided to pry carefully.

Percy put on a pained smile. "Yeah, I know how to read. It's just that...the words seem to tumble off the pages. It's difficult to focus on them. That's why I had my mum read most of the books I wanted to read and tell me about them afterwards after she stopped reading them to me as goodnight stories."

Nico blinked, trying to picture what reading must feel like if the words kept running off the pages.

He looked at the book again. "But otherwise, you would read it?"

"Yeah, I guess so. It's the one she's been cooing about ever since I met her so I guess it would be worth a read." Percy shrugged, sipping on his tea.

Nico knew the book. He had read it himself maybe a year or so ago.  
He could probably survive reading it again.  
Taking up his courage, he moved closer to Percy.

"I could read it to you."

The offer hung in the room, Nico's heart beating loudly in his chest, everything in him readying itself for Percy's rejection.  
The boy looked at him with big, green eyes, surprise all over his face.  
Then he licked his lips.

Percy had that habit of licking his lips when he got nervous.

Nico really shouldn't be looking at them.  
But he simply couldn't resist.

They looked so inviting...

"If you want to. Sure." Percy muttered, pulling Nico out of his thoughts.

Then he changed position and held open his blue blanket.  
Nico blinked, uncertain what Percy wanted.  
His insides were still all over the place because of those perfect lips.

Percy smiled bemused and moved once more, this time towards Nico.  
Dangerously close.

Then he tugged on Nico's blanket and Nico let him take it from him, instead wrapping the blue blanket around both of them, their shoulders brushing against each other as Percy seated himself next to him.

Nico's whole body went rigid.

So close.

He took a deep breath and tried to act casual, taking the book from Percy and flipping it open, holding one end of the blanket while Percy held on to the other part, leaning closer towards him as he looked down at the book.  
Nico forced himself to keep his gaze on the book, though everything inside him wanted to turn around and look at Percy's pretty face, only inches away from his own.  
He cleared his throat and began to read, worried at first that he would speak too loud or quiet, too fast or slow.

But Percy never complained or stopped him in any way.

.

By the time they reached the second chapter, Percy had his chin on Nico's shoulder, feeling so tired.  
Nico felt surprisingly nice. He was cool, even with the fire and the blanket, but it felt good.  
The fabric of his shirt felt nice against Percy's skin as well, which was probably why he slightly rubbed against it, too tired to care about 'rubbing Nico the wrong way'.

But Nico didn't stop him in any way, either.

He had this really nice way of reading.  
He didn't try to adapt any of the different emotions the characters in the story had, but that was completely fine.  
His calm and steady voice was perfect.

The story was pretty good.

Not what Percy usually read, but a nice change.  
He tried to stay awake, but the warmth from the blanket and the fire in front of him was simply too seductive, too comfortable.

He sighed, eyelids fluttering close and he found himself snuggling closer to Nico, who momentarily stopped reading and looked around at him quietly while Percy wrapped his arms around Nico's arm, opening one lazy eye to look back at him.

Nico was studying him again.  
Percy really wondered what he was thinking.

He half readied himself for a negative remark or for Nico to shrug him off.  
Instead, Nico looked back down at the book and continued reading in the same calm, steady voice.

Percy smirked.

Then his eyes fell shut.

.

Nico closed the book quietly, putting it aside and looking around at Percy again, fast asleep against...his shoulder.  
This _had_ to mean something, right?

He didn't dare move much, worried he'd wake Percy again.  
But he did move his other arm, letting his hand brush some strands of hair out of Percy's face carefully.

He looked so peaceful. He was also drooling in his sleep.  
Nico found him utterly endearing.

A knock on the door caused him to pull his hand away quickly, putting his usual scowl back on.

It was Piper with a wicked grin on her face. "I see he has fallen asleep."

"It seems that way." He muttered quietly, watching her coming closer and wondering what she wanted.

"Hm, should we skip dinner, then? It is still a few hours' time, but the staff would begin the cooking now."

Nico looked at Percy again, noticing how there were just a few inches separating his lips from Percy's head, so he pulled back again. "There will be no need for dinner tonight. But have them prepare something cool to be eaten in case he wishes for anything in the middle of the night." He then announced, still quietly as to not wake the boy.

He enjoyed dinner with Percy, but he wasn't going to wake him up just to force him to eat with him.

Piper smiled broadly.

"What?" He asked frowning, wondering why she was still there.

"Oh, nothing. You simply seem...happy, my lord. It shows in the castle. Things are a lot brighter lately."

Nico had noticed that himself as well.

The castle always responded to his emotions and state.  
So, the past four years it had resembled a dark void of despair and pain and misery, your typical doom and gloom haunted castle.  
But ever since Percy was here, Nico had noticed how the walls had become lighter, the scowls of the statues had softened and the pictures actually showed their original angelic features ever so faintly again.

It had become brighter in the castle, not just with the buzzing activity of the staff, but with what could only be seen as hope.

Nico's hope.

Of course, it was stupid. He had roughly two months left, then the castle and its inhabitants would forever be cursed.  
Still, he caught himself thinking that it might not be all too bad, if only...

If only Percy would stay with him for that forever.

"I wanted to tell you that idea I had earlier. About what you could give him." Piper chirped and Nico's ears perked up.

"Oh?" He tried not to sound too curious or enthusiastic about it.

In the end, it might be something utterly stupid.  
Or she could say he should give the boy his freedom.

She just grinned at him knowingly.  
Then she leaned over and whispered something in his ear.  
His eyes widened.

THAT was a great idea.

She pulled back, smirking from ear to ear.  
He stared at her.  
How come he hadn't thought of that?

Percy would definitely like that (or so he hoped).

"I'll consider it." He said flatly, not wanting to let her know how well she had hit the mark.

But she only winked at him. "Sure you will. I'll tell the staff about dinner. Will you have anything, sir?"

He shook his head, causing her smile to falter for a moment.

"I'll bring you some sandwiches." She then said and turned into an orb of smoke, disappearing through the closed door before he could say any more.

Nico rolled his eyes.  
He should seriously make them know their place.  
Though he knew they all only meant well.  
He simply didn't eat much.  
If anything at all.

But because of the curse, he couldn't die from starvation or the like.

The only thing that could truly kill him was if somebody took mercy on him and killed him.  
Not that he would let anybody do that.  
It would be an option, of course, if it meant the curse would be lifted and the castle and the staff would be fine afterwards.  
But he kind of didn't want to find out whether it did or not.

Sighing, he felt Percy move, sliding down his arms and resting his head against Nico's thigh.  
Nico's lips twitched.

Percy truly was endearing.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Come." Nico said, urging Percy to pick up speed as he followed him.

"Seriously, where are we going?" He asked, dying from curiosity.

The past days, ever since that day they had their snowball fight and he fell asleep snuggling against Nico (something he refused to think about most of the time but that kept coming back to him), he hadn't seen much of the Ghost King other than at dinner.

There still was some distance between them, but a lot less compared to before.  
Now, they actually had normal conversations and even joked around a bit.  
Percy had also succeeded in making Nico eat a whole plate of food, much to the delight of the entire staff.

All in all, they were certainly making progress.

And now, things seemed to get even better.

Nico had randomly appeared in front of his door, telling Percy to follow him.

"Secret." Nico only replied, frustrating Percy even further, but he still hurried after him.

It was all because he loved surprises.

Damn it.

He caught Nico grinning out of the corner of his eyes and looked around, but Nico immediately put on an indifferent expression.  
Percy wondered if he had only imagined it after all.

They kept walking for what felt like forever, leading Percy to a part of the castle he hadn't been to yet.  
Mainly because he would have had to go past the West Wing in order to go there and he hadn't dared to get close to that place whatsoever after that one night.

Finally, they stopped in front of a big double-door and Nico turned around to face him.

He looked hesitant for a moment and Percy noticed how he seemed slightly flustered about something.  
He had never seen Nico show so much emotion before, other than when he had laughed in the snow.

"I...I wanted to show you this. It's...my gift to you." He muttered and Percy blinked, looking at the double doors with even more curiosity now.

A gift?

From Nico?

For him?

What was it?

And why?

"Close your eyes." Nico ordered almost softly, sending a pleasant shiver down Percy's back.

He did as he was told without hesitation.  
For some reason and as absurd as it was, he trusted Nico with his life.

He felt cold hands taking hold of his and was so tempted to open his eyes, but he didn't want to upset Nico, so he kept them firmly shut.  
Percy could hear the doors opening and Nico tugged on his hands gently, guiding him into the room.

"Can I look now?" Percy asked, nibbling on his lip. He SO wanted to look.

Patience had never been one of his strong points.

"Not yet." Nico said bemused and let go of Percy's hands reluctantly, moving across the room, away from Percy.

Percy was tempted to try to follow him.  
He heard some rustling and what sounded like a sort of clanging, light flooding the room.

"How about now? Please?" He pleaded, stepping from foot to foot and putting his hands to his face as to prevent himself from peeking.

Nico laughed and came back. "Ok. Now."

Percy opened his eyes and gaped at the interior of the room.

"This is..." He started, but was immediately at a loss for words.

It was a training room. The training room Jason and Leo had talked about that Percy had never found until now.

It was gigantic.

There were dummies and an agility course and a wall to climb and all sorts of weird things Percy didn't even know of, as well as a wide selection of freshly cleaned weapons at the side.

It was perfect.

"Do you like it?" Nico asked, standing right next to Percy.

Percy turned around to him, beaming. "This is amazing. I've never seen anything like this."

"Then it's yours. You can use it however often and in any way you wish."

Percy couldn't believe it.

He could SO train sword fighting to his heart's content here, with partner or without.

Who knew, there was plenty of staff, maybe one of them shared his interest?

Oh god, this was the best thing in his life!

"Thank you! Thank you so much. This is...I don't even know what to say."

Nico smiled at him, his dark eyes full of relief and joy.

Percy had noticed how the castle had become sort of brighter over the past weeks.

He wondered whether that meant that Nico himself was getting out of the darkness as well.

He sure hoped so.

"You're welcome. So, what do you say about training with me?" Nico suddenly offered, hand on the sword at his side that he never seemed to take off.

Percy's eyes widened. "With you?"

"Of course. I used to be one of the best sword fighters in the castle. I'll probably be a little rusty, but I'm sure we'll work it out."

'We'll work it out.'

Percy beamed at Nico's choice of words and nodded enthusiastically, drawing his own sword as they moved over to a marked area where there wasn't anything lying around.  
Then they both raised their weapons.  
Percy noticed the differences in their stances immediately, as well as the ease in which Nico raised his sword, his grip on the hilt firm and steady.

Rusty? Didn't look like it.

He seemed utterly in his element.

"Ready?" Percy asked.

Nico looked him up and down bemused. "No armor?"

"I don't see you wearing any."

"Never."

"Then neither will I."

Nico chuckled and shrugged, then they both started forward, swords clanging against each other.

.

Percy was a formidable opponent.  
He certainly had had a great teacher or amazing talent (or both, which Nico suspected), else he could have never kept up with Nico.

As it was, they were great.

It had been quite a while that Nico had trained with anybody (or at all), but he instantly remembered why he had always loved it.  
They danced across the wide, yet still too small space, their swords clanging against each other over and over again.

No armor was a risky business and Nico had to make sure not to actually wound Percy, but he also didn't have to be too overly cautious, since Percy really was better than expected (and he had known he'd be good).

As he hacked away at Percy, he saw a few orbs of smoke at the ajar double-door, materializing into Piper, Annabeth, Leo and Jason, all with broad grins on their faces, giving him several thumbs up's.  
He rolled his eyes at them and focused back on Percy, who seemed utterly elated.

Yes, this had been a great decision.

He enjoyed seeing Percy so happy.

In a way, it made Nico happy.

And he hadn't felt so happy in such a long time, it made him all giddy and weird inside.

He could still see the other four at the door, watching them with curious expressions, so when he urged Percy to jump sideways out of the way, he shot them a glare that pretty much meant 'Scram!'.  
They actually did, throwing him amused glances but disappearing nevertheless.

He wanted to be alone with Percy.

Just for now.

Later, the staff could be all over him again.

But now, he wanted him for himself.

.

They kept at it for what felt like hours, Percy's arms feeling like lead.  
Nico sure had stamina, he had to cut him that.  
Percy kept dodging him, copying some of his movements and mimicking attacks.  
Every time he did, Nico's eyes would glint in that knowing way and his lips would twitch and he'd put an extra effort into getting to Percy.

Percy loved it.

"You're even better than my teacher." Percy told him, narrowly evading a blow to his shoulder.

"Oh?" Nico seemed utterly bemused, his dark eyes glinting.

"Yeah. Chiron. He is this really old man in the city I...came from. He used to train all sorts of people, but stopped because of old age. He only trained me because...well..." Percy explained but halted, uncertain whether he should tell Nico about his past or whether Nico would even care.

"Yes?" Nico pried, his movements becoming slower ever so slightly to allow Percy more room.

"Don't laugh, ok? When I was younger, I always wanted to become a knight. A hero. Somebody to travel across the world and battle the evil, my whole life one big adventure. So I wanted to be able to fight. I took a stick and built a makeshift-dummy and whacked it until the stick would break, then get another stick. Chiron caught me doing that and laughed so hard he had to sit down."

Nico's lips split into a smile, his eyes ablaze. It seemed he could picture the scene almost as well as Percy could remember it.

"Anyways, he offered to train me after that. He was amazing. In the beginning, I hated him for being so mean and uptight about everything, but then I realized that he had to be, in order to get me to learn things right. He was a pretty cool teacher...he also gave me this sword."

"He did? That's an unusual thing for teachers to do." Nico remarked, looking thoughtful for a moment.

Percy shrugged. "He only gave it to me a day before I came here. It was my last lesson with him. He said there was nothing more he could teach me and that I'd be ready to take on the world now. This sword was supposedly handed to him by one of the heroes he had trained and he had to promise to give it to somebody worthy – and Chiron had decided to give it to me." He said, unable to suppress the small hint of pride in his voice.

"I can see why." Nico said softly and Percy's heart did a little somersault, relief washing over him. He had been slightly worried about how Nico might take the story.

Or his past, in general. It wasn't as if Nico generally displayed any interest in Percy as a person.

"Thanks. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I really love sword fighting. It simply feels...right."

"I know." Nico sighed and they swung their swords again.

Percy beamed at him.  
He only just realized – Nico and him, they weren't all that different.  
In a way, they were actually quite similar.

They certainly had more in common than Luke and him.

At that thought, his smile slid off his face.

"What's wrong?" Nico instantly asked, pulling his sword back.

Percy blinked and shook his head. "What? Oh, nothing. I was just thinking that, where I come from, I was the only one interested in sword fighting. People thought I was weird because I rather wanted to do that than learn how to hunt."

"Really? That must have been harsh."

Percy shrugged, lowering his sword and looking sideways. "I...don't like hunting. I would defend myself against wolves or the like, but I could never go and hunt innocent animals for mere fun. If it was for survival, I'd understand. But for fun..."

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to meet Nico's worried gaze.

"You don't have to justify yourself, Percy. You are the way you are. Nobody can force you to be somebody you are not." He said quietly and Percy's eyes widened slightly.

Then he thought of Luke and looked down again.

"Are you...thinking of somebody in particular?" Nico asked, voice quiet and cool again, the hand removing itself from Percy's shoulder, much to his dismay.

He had liked the feeling of comfort the touch had given him.

"Not really...well...yeah. There was this one guy who always tried to get me to go hunting with him."

Nico stiffened, but didn't say anything.  
Percy scratched the back of his head, putting his sword back to his belt.

"He'd always go on and on about how sword fighting wasn't good for anything and that I should stop being weird and have my head in a cloud. That I should stop talking about adventures and leaving the town and just be...normal."

Percy wasn't even sure why he was talking about this.  
Maybe Luke's words really had hurt him, even if he had refused to admit it before now.  
He sighed, his shoulders slumping and his head still cast downward, wondering why he was bothering Nico with all of this.

Cool knuckles stroke across his cheek and he looked up surprised.

Nico stood right in front of him, mere inches between their bodies, his knuckles caressing his skin gently. "Then that guy was very stupid. Clearly, he had no idea what he was talking about. Personally, I find you perfect just the way you are."

Percy stared at him.  
Nico's gaze was soft, gentle.  
Not like his usual cold and indifferent composure.

Percy's heart thumped loudly, and he knew it wasn't because of the exercise with the sword fighting.

Then he felt his ears getting hot and swallowed. Hard.

No, Nico hadn't meant it _like that_!

He was just trying to make Percy feel better.

Still, he found himself smiling. One way or another, Nico really was kind.  
Even if he didn't want to admit to that, it seemed.

"Thank you. Sorry for bothering you with this, though."

"No problem. I'm...I'd be glad to listen if you have to get anything else off your chest." Nico said quietly, the soft expression still on his face.

For once, he didn't get all guarded again.

Percy loved it.

Then Nico seemed to notice he still had his hand on Percy's cheek and he pulled back, giving Percy more space.

"Could we..." Percy started, suddenly desperate to get close to Nico again in some way.

Nico halted, raising a questioning eyebrow.

Percy nibbled on his lip. "Would you consider continuing the book tonight? I really enjoyed the way you read it to me the other day. I also can't seem to get the story out of my head."

Nico chuckled and Percy's insides turned all warm and fuzzy at the sound.

"Sure, but after dinner. Else you'll sleep through it, again."

Percy made a face. "That was because we ran around in the snow for hours. I was tired." He defended himself, trying not to think too much about falling asleep snuggling up to Nico.

Nico only raised an eyebrow. "And now we trained for hours. I believe you'll be even more tired."

Percy sighed defeated. He knew Nico was right, of course.  
And he had agreed to read to him, so there was that.  
He had only said Percy shouldn't sleep through dinner, not that he shouldn't fall asleep at all.

Not that Percy wanted to fall asleep.  
He did however hope to get closer to Nico, though.

"Ok then. After dinner."

.

Nico watched bemused as Percy utterly ignored dining manners, seating arrangements and, worst of all, his orders, as he moved over to Nico's side of the table, pulling up a chair and sitting down right next to him instead of at the other end, talking animatedly about the pigs and sheep his family owned while urging Nico on to keep eating.

It was Percy's special way to try to make him eat (yes, he completely saw through that, he only didn't say anything because he found it so endearing that the boy seemed to care so much for him).

"So, anyways, I pretty much had plenty of pets. What, with the piglets running around in the house and one of them occasionally sleeping in my bed with me. How about you? Did you ever have any pets?"

Nico wasn't sure whether to be amused or distressed about the thought of a piglet in Percy's bed, but went with amused, anyways.

"Nope. We used to have dogs, but they always stayed outside and were more meant as guard dogs, than companions."

"Well, better guarding than hunting."

"You really don't like hunting, huh?"

Percy made a face. "No. Not when it's for fun."

"I completely agree. So, what did people do when they weren't slaughtering innocent animals?"

Percy chuckled. "Not all my friends were hunters. Well, Luke wasn't even really a friend. He was...ungh, nevermind." He waved off, much to Nico's dismay.

Ever since Percy had mentioned another guy, Nico had been utterly desperate to find out exactly what relationship those two had had.  
But he wasn't sure whether he could and should pry.

After all, he didn't really tell Percy much about his own past or anything.

"Hm?"

"You don't want to know." Percy muttered dismissively, concentrating back on his plate.

"Well, I won't force you to talk about it. But I will listen. As I said, you can talk to me about anything." It took a lot for him to say that, but he knew it to be the truth.

He wanted to find out all there was about Percy.  
And he wanted to be there for him, show him he cared and that Percy could trust him.

Percy's expression softened and he sighed. "Yeah, I know. It's just...well, it's difficult. I really...rather not talk about it, I guess. Sorry. But hey, there was that other friend of mine, her name is Rachel. She was one of my best friends. At one point, everybody thought we would end up married – which was so not going to happen, of course. But since her father is this really strict guy who never really saw her as anything but an object to show off to others, we decided to completely go along with it. He was furious. You should have seen him. He said a lot of mean stuff, too, and my parents had a tough job convincing him it was all a joke in the end. Yeah, I still remember I got into quite some trouble by times. But it was so worth it."

Nico was still hung up on two facts. The first was that Percy didn't want to talk about this Luke guy, the second was that he was just talking about a girl and marriage.

But he had also said 'which was so not going to happen, of course', which was odd and sounded as if there was a better reason than 'she wasn't pretty enough' behind it.

"I...see. But you aren't engaged or anything, right?"

Percy choked on his forkful of food and Nico's insides filled with dread.  
Percy couldn't possibly be in a relationship or anything, right?  
He had never said anything about potential girlfriends or whatever.

The boy looked rather alarmed. "What? No. No, I'm single...at least I think so."

Why did that not sound very reassuring?

"So...is there somebody who might not think so?" Nico pried cautiously, putting down his fork as he was suddenly feeling rather sick.

"Well..." Percy muttered and Nico's heart sank.

"It's nothing official. He'll never get it through. And I've said no countless times."

Nico's ears perked up. "He?" He heard his own voice asking before he could stop himself.

Percy shrugged. "Luke. He's persistent like...oh..." A blush spread on his face and he also put the fork down, staring down at his hands for a long moment.

Silence filled the room.

Then Percy got up. "Ah, I'll be...erm..."

"Percy?" Nico asked, getting up as well, but Percy already rushed from the room.

What the hell?  
Did that mean Percy was indeed gay?  
And what was that about with Luke?  
So Luke wasn't Percy's friend, but he had proposed to Percy?  
But Percy had said he had rejected him, so there shouldn't be any problem, right?

He just stood in the dining room for what felt like forever, but could have also just been a few minutes.

Then he hurried after Percy.

.

God, how could he have been so stupid?!

Percy threw himself onto his bed facedown and groaned.

He had so given himself away right there.

And Nico had only just opened up to him, too.

Why had he let it slip he was gay?  
Now things were so going to turn awkward between them.  
Then again, better now than later.  
This way, Percy at least knew there was no way there could be more between Nico and him.

Seriously, the surprise in his voice.

And Percy had completely misunderstood, thinking Nico had meant to ask who he had meant, not that it had been a _him_ instead of a _her_.

What a mess.

Now he couldn't even get closer to Nico anymore without making it seem like he wanted to get into his pants.

He stiffened for a moment.

Damn, maybe he _did_ want to get into Nico's pants.

How had that happened?

Maybe some distance would be good, after all.

There was a knock on the door.

He wondered vaguely who it was going to be.

Jason or Leo?  
Or Piper.  
Or maybe even Annabeth.  
He really didn't feel like talking to any of them right now, though.

Sighing, he crawled out of bed again and trudged over to the door.

"I really don't understand why you guys don't just fly through the door. I mean, I'm glad you're giving me privacy and-...oh..." He stopped abruptly as he saw Nico in the doorway, an eyebrow raised.

"You are the first person I know to complain about being granted privacy. I know I don't have that privilege. People generally walk into my West Wing without permission and look at my stuff without asking." He commented drily and Percy's face flushed.

"I...listen...erm...I probably should have told you." He started, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

How was he going to talk to Nico now?  
Should he just stand tall and go all like 'Yeah, I'm gay, sorry about that'?  
Or should he try to explain he hadn't wanted to make a big deal out of it?

"Quite difficult to tell me you're going to be in the West Wing when I was in the West Wing at the time and explicitly forbid you to enter said West Wing." He stated and Percy looked at him exasperated.

But then Nico's lips twitched. "May I come in?"

It was odd, hearing the master of the house ask him for permission to enter his room.

"If you want to." He muttered quietly and stepped aside, allowing Nico to come inside before closing the door.

"So, maybe you should talk to me about that mysterious person after all." Nico said and walked over to the bed, sitting down at the edge and looking at Percy rather expectantly.

Percy still had trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that Nico di Angelo was in his room.  
On his bed.  
After Percy had just told him he was gay.

Nico was either very stupid (which he doubted), very sure that Percy wasn't interested in him (which would be foolish for him to think) or very much didn't care (which wasn't very wise).

The Ghost King raised an eyebrow, patting the space next to him.  
Percy cringed and walked over, sitting down with plenty of space between them.  
He just didn't want Nico to think badly of him now.

"Well, how do I say this...Luke is this guy from town. He's one of those people that everybody seems to love. He's tall and muscled and handsome, pretty much the perfect guy, ok? He could have anybody." He started, feeling Nico stiffen next to him, but he guessed that was normal, given that he was describing a guy as handsome – Nico so didn't want to know what Percy would describe him as.

"So, the thing is: He has this really horrible character. He knows he could have anybody and he is using that to his advantage. He also loves to hunt for fun and brags around with his kills. He even puts them up in his house. He has quite some money, which makes him even more wanted among both guys and girls. The thing is...he doesn't just want anybody. He wants somebody to match him. And for some reason, he's kind of got it stuck in his head that he and I would be the perfect couple."

Nico eyed him from the side quietly, looking rather miserable.

"I guess it is a bit too much, isn't it? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..." Percy started, but Nico waved him off.

"No, please, go on. I was just thinking that I can understand why he'd choose you, that's all." Even Nico's voice sounded somewhat miserable.

Percy frowned. "Well, I can't. I'm really not all that special. But anyways, he has it stuck in his head that we'd be so perfect together – which is to say he would do whatever he wants and I'd have to stay at home and be the perfect houseman, taking care of the house and keeping it nice and clean for him to return to after 'work' and admire his slaughtering, cleaning his kills and preparing food for him before...erm...going to bed."

Percy made a mental note not to mention anything sex-related.

That was only going to make things even more awkward.

Nico nodded his understanding and Percy sighed. "So, yeah, you can imagine how I felt when he first proposed to me. He made it sound as if it was a sure thing I'd say yes. As a matter of fact, he actually seemed utterly shocked by the fact that I rejected him. He was outside my window at the time, trying to lure me outside and declaring his undying love to me – while my mum had told me mere hours ago he had brought one of the miller's daughters with him to her bakery, clearly taking her out. Can you imagine that? And then he was surprised when I said no."

Nico didn't say anything, just sitting there and looking down.  
Percy was just wondering whether he should just stop there, but then Nico nodded slightly, quietly telling him to continue.

"Well, I thought that was it, then. That he'd leave me alone and look for another victim – far off. The next day, he suddenly came after me while I was on my way home from getting the sheep to the meadow behind the river. You need to see that this happened the day after my dad left, so he was probably here at the time."

Nico flinched but kept quiet and Percy didn't say anything either for a moment.

Then he continued quietly. "Luke said that he just wanted to tell me he understood. I was so surprised, thinking that this meant Luke was going to leave me alone and everything would be fine – I was so wrong. Apparently, he's so full of himself, that the thinks I was too sleepy to realize what I was doing and that he was going to be generous and give me another chance. The impudence! He said he thought I was so pretty and nobody else would ever compare to me – nice words, but by now I think he just says that to everybody – and that he really loved me and was going to fulfill all my wildest dreams. Well, the dreams he thought I had and my actual dreams didn't match whatsoever and I don't even want to talk about what he had said because that was just horrible. Anyways, I rejected him again. I told him I wanted love, even if it makes me prude and stupid or whatever, but-..."

"It doesn't. You are absolutely right." Nico cut in, his voice cool and collected as always, yet also distant.

"Well, he probably thought so. I rejected him and left before he could say anything and went back home, thinking he had to leave me alone now. I mean, I rejected him twice, right? He couldn't even say I was too tired or anything this time. But you know what? He still came after me. I ended up hiding beneath the trap door where we kept our supplies and my mum had to actually lie to him and tell him I went out the back door and back to town. He didn't believe her and wanted to go to my room with the excuse that I had 'borrowed a book from him'. Well, you know how likely that is. But he doesn't even own any books, either, so he probably didn't think that far. When he finally left, I thought that now he might get the hint. I went to clean the chicken coup as to repay the favor to my mum for helping me out, but when I went to my room to put some laundry in my wardrobe, I found a note on my bed, written by him. It wasn't even a real note, but actually the back of a picture of my mum and dad – my real dad - which I'm still not completely over. That was the only picture I had of the two, and he wrote 'You should rethink my offer. I'm not going to wait forever. Love you, Bye' on it. I was so furious. And upset. And kind of freaked out, because I had kept that photo beneath my pillow, so he must have moved my stuff on my bed around. And I so don't want to know what he did to my bed..." He broke off, putting his face in his hands.

He felt Nico move and then there was an arm around his waist.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Nico said quietly, moving closer slightly.

Percy leaned against him, sighing deeply. "It's ok. There's nothing you could have done, Nico. And now, it's over anyways. I'm never going to return there, so no point in fretting about it. He'll eventually give up and find somebody else."

Nico stiffened slightly, though Percy wasn't sure why.

Then his hand began moving up and down Percy's side in soothing strokes.  
Percy still had his face in his hands. He wasn't going to cry, but he also didn't want Nico to see his face right now.

"So, yeah. That's pretty much it about Luke. I'm sorry for not telling you I'm gay, though. I didn't want to make things awkward. I didn't even tell the staff." He admitted quietly, thinking that if Nico had listened to him raving about Luke, he couldn't possibly mind this piece of information much either.

As a matter of fact, Nico didn't even falter in his reassuring stroking.

"Don't worry about it, Percy. I'm glad you told me."

For a long moment, there was silence, in which Nico just resumed his stroking, his body inching closer ever so slightly.  
Percy let him, glad about the comfort and the closeness.

"Any other guys I should know about?" Nico then asked and Percy chuckled quietly.

"Nah."

"Good."

Percy felt Nico shifting closer and looked around to see Nico pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder through the fabric.  
To Percy, that was the sweetest thing ever, though it was quite a shock that Nico of all people would get that affectionate with him.  
He decided not to think too much of it.

"Want to go back downstairs to dinner, then?" He asked quietly, but Percy hesitated.

"Could we...stay here a bit longer?" He tried tentatively, not quite willing to let this moment end.

He wanted Nico to stay this close.

It felt nice.

Nico smiled. "For however long you wish."

Percy liked the sound of that.  
He put an arm around Nico tentatively, still unsure how far he was allowed to go.  
But Nico let him, simply tugging him closer into an actual hug and putting his chin on Percy's head.

"You know...you're actually a really nice person, Nico." Percy muttered after some time.

"Not really." Nico retorted drily, clearly unconvinced.

„Yes. Jason was right. You're really nice and kind and completely different from whom I thought you would be. I wish you would tell me what's weighing you down. I wish I could help."

Nico didn't reply for a long moment, his hands stroking up and down Percy's back.

"We shall keep that for a different night. For today, I think we've had enough revelations." He finally replied with a sigh.

"Does that mean you'll tell me more about yourself?" Percy asked, looking up at Nico's face, not even bothering to hide the hopefulness in either his voice or gaze.

Nico gazed back down at him.

Their faces were so close.

Nico turned his head to the side. "I suppose I will."

Percy beamed at him. "Nico, you're the-...oh. _Oh!_ " He pulled back.

That's why Nico had stiffened! Percy was actually calling him by his _name_!

Oh god, he hadn't even noticed!

Nico blinked at him, seemingly confused.

"I am SO sorry. I didn't mean to call you...I mean...it wasn't..." He started, horrified.

Nico frowned. "Percy, it's ok. You may call me by my name. It's not that big of a deal, really."

"But nobody else seems to be allowed to call you that." Percy replied, thinking of how not even Jason dared to call him Nico.

"That's because they are them and you are you."  
"But I'm your prisoner." Percy frowned, now utterly bewildered.

"You're my...guest with extended staying regulations." Nico corrected with a defiant expression on his face, as if he didn't allow any argument in this matter.

Percy chuckled. "Am I now?"

"Yes."

"And guests with extended staying regulations are allowed to call you by your name?" He raised an amused eyebrow.

"Apparently." Nico replied, raising a challenging eyebrow in return, as if daring him to question it.

"Okay. Nico?"

"Yes?"

"Nothing, just wanted to try it out." He admitted, grinning sheepishly.

Nico only rolled his eyes.

"Nico?" Percy asked, then realized that it now probably looked as if he was making fun of Nico.

But Nico only raised an eyebrow.

"Hm?"

"I just wanted to say thanks. For listening. I sure am glad things aren't awkward between us now."

Nico only shook his head. "I don't see why they would be."

Percy grinned at him. "I guess it's too late now to get you to read the book to me, huh?"

Nico chuckled and looked him up and down for a moment.

"Sure, let me get it, then." He then announced and got up.

Percy blinked surprised.

Nico obviously noticed and smirked. "What? You think I'll take you downstairs with me just so I can carry you back up here later when you've fallen asleep? No chance."

Percy was about to protest, but Nico had already crossed the room and was gone.  
Percy shook his head, grinning to himself.  
Who'd have guessed Nico to be like this?

To actually listen to him, comfort him, reassure him.

And he was allowed to call him by his name.

He felt all those happy emotions bubbling up inside him and had to push the giddiness down.

He really shouldn't be even half this elated.

Really.

.

Nico tucked Percy in quietly as the boy happily snored away, a trickle of drool moistening his pillow.  
They had indeed managed another chapter before Percy had dropped against him like a log.  
He had tried to keep the distance up until the end, not even allowing their arms to brush against each other, much to Nico's dismay.  
Though it was his own fault.

Why hadn't he just told Percy he was gay as well?

Now Percy thought he was straight and was worried he'd make Nico uncomfortable.

He sighed, placing the book on Percy's bedside table for the next time they'd get to read it.

Then he sat down on Percy's bed once more, stroking through his hair, feeling the soft strands under his fingertips.

Nico could completely understand why Luke wanted Percy.

It filled him with jealousy and blind hot fury that there was another guy next to Nico who wanted Percy, especially given that he was such a dick.  
He seemed to have a very foul character.  
Nico couldn't help but worry that maybe Luke wasn't going to give up, though he wasn't sure what that meant to him.  
He didn't want to let Percy go.  
And even if he had to, maybe he could procrastinate it for a long time, like a year or two (or three, four, ten, fifteen, thirty, a lifetime?).  
Luke was bound to have somebody else by then.

But then again, Percy had described him as handsome and 'the perfect guy'.  
What if Luke just so happened to be his type and all that was in the way was that Luke seemed to not give a thought about anybody but himself and his own interests, as well as the fact he obviously wasn't ready to settle down with one partner yet?  
What if Percy returned home and found Luke had changed?  
What if Luke realized he had treated Percy poorly and actually went out of his way to be the person Percy wanted?

Nico pulled his hand back.

Too many what if's.

Percy was here right now. With him.  
Nico knew he'd have to let him go at some point.

But not now.

So he could push Luke out of his mind for now and rather concentrate on enjoying his time with Percy.

As he got up and left the room, he found four orbs of smoke trying to hide just around the corner.

"Seriously? I told you to leave us alone." He complained sourly and Jason, Leo, Annabeth and Piper materialized, all four grinning sheepishly.

"Sorry..." Leo pouted.

"We only wanted to make sure you didn't need anything." Jason muttered.

"How is he? Why did he just suddenly run off like that during dinner?" Piper pried, not even making up an excuse or anything.

That maid.

"He's sleeping. There was something that bothered him, but we talked about it and he's better now." At least he hoped Percy was feeling better now.

Nico hadn't done much but hearing him out, after all.

"Oh, thank god. The rest of the staff was worried there might have been something wrong with the food." Piper relaxed, but Annabeth frowned.

"Something that bothered him? And he talked to _you_ about it? You two seem to be getting close, huh?"

Nico tried to keep his face indifferent. "Why do you sound so surprised?" He asked instead of replying and the blonde raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I'm not surprised about you two getting close, trust me. The speed is surprising, though. The getting close part, I've seen that coming. I mean, the way you two flirted the other day..."

"We didn't flirt." Nico cut in quickly, much to the amusement of Jason and Leo, who both shared a knowing look and a dumb grin.

Nico scowled.

"Get to bed, you disobedient underlings." He said, knowing it sounded more like an exasperated 'Good night, folks. See you in the morning', but he was too tired to really care right now.

Plus, Percy was still weighing on his mind (as he did kind of all the time ever since he had come here).

"Good Night, master." All four of them replied, grinning at him broadly.

Had they always been this... _affectionate_ with him?

How come he had never noticed?

"Good Night." He muttered, shaking his head and turning away, walking towards his lonely West Wing, already missing Percy's warmth.

.

"He still isn't back. How can that be?" Luke growled and paced his room.

Ethan sat on the bed, elbows on his thighs, chin resting on his hand.

"I don't know. But he hasn't come back. Nor did his horse, for that matter." Ethan said shrugging.

A month had passed and Percy still hadn't returned home.  
Where was he?

"Forget the dumb horse. Did you overhear anything of importance?"

"Nothing. Paul is still sick, it seems. He doesn't talk much, and if he does, he's worrying about Percy, but there's nothing that could indicate where he is. Sally is going to work as usual and takes care of the sheep and pigs when she's at home, also not talking much. Though she does seem to have aged a lot in the past weeks. Something is weighing her down." Ethan turned thoughtful, staring off into space.

Luke scowled and kept on pacing. "Useless. I want to know where he went. People don't just disappear."

"Maybe the old man simply said the truth?"

"About being locked up by the devil and Percy offering himself instead to let his step-dad run free? Are you mad?" Luke asked frowning, fixing Ethan with an incredulous expression.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Just think about it in a less dramatic way. What if he went to, let's say, an inn to spend the night, but couldn't pay up. He caught the flu and couldn't leave, thus causing the amount of money he owed them to get even more. So he sent Blackjack back with a note asking for money, but they couldn't pay up, so Percy rode there and is now working it all off."

For a moment, there was silence. "That's stupid. Why would anybody do that? I'd have just left the old man there, then. He doesn't seem to be getting better, either, after all."

"Luke, some people actually care about their parents, you know."

Luke shot him an annoyed glance and walked over to the bed, pushing Ethan back on it and straddling him. "You shouldn't talk about things you don't understand." He said quietly, not quite threatening, but warning Ethan nevertheless, his hand moving over the front of his shirt.  
Ethan let him, his face a mask of indifference.

"It's at least an option. And it would push the whole 'It's my fault he's stuck there forever' thing in a different light."

"Maybe the job offer was a set up and it was all to find somebody to buy Percy." Luke suddenly said, crossing his arms in front of his chest thoughtfully, staring down at Ethan.

"Pardon?"

"Maybe they wanted to sell him. He IS beautiful, after all. So they thought they could make some money and sell him off to the highest bidder."

"I highly doubt that..." Ethan muttered, but Luke silenced him.

"No, it's perfect. Paul went to that town and found a suitable buyer, so he sent the horse back, making it seem like something bad had happened and Percy had to go after him. Then, there, Paul sold him off and was permitted to use one of the carriages of the buyer, thus explaining the odd carriage you saw. But on the way back, Paul started feeling bad about it and started blaming himself for getting that idea in the first place. It's perfect."

Ethan only stared up at him unimpressed.  
Luke leaned down and pressed his lips onto the boy's.

  
He wished it would be Percy here right now, not Ethan.  
Percy's lean and sexy body, not Ethan's halfway acceptable one.  
Percy's piercing green eyes, instead of Ethan's pale gray eye and that eye patch.

But he guessed Ethan would do.  
The boy didn't put up a fight, returning the kiss without hesitation.

Why wasn't Percy this willing?  
Luke would make him feel so good...

"I'm going to talk to Kronos about this. Maybe we can force them to tell us more that way. And if not, if Percy is really gone, then I don't need to care about what happens to them anymore, anyways." Luke muttered determinedly as he pulled back, nodding at his own statement.

"You do that." Ethan agreed, pulling him back down for another kiss.

Luke grinned, letting his hands move over Ethan's slim body and beneath his clothes.

This was going to be fun.

.

"Eh? Where are Percy and Nico? Don't tell me they're training again. They've been doing nothing else the past week." Leo asked surprised as he entered the room the two usually stayed in until dinner these days.

Jason stood at the side of the open fireplace, gazing at the flames thoughtfully.

He only shrugged. "I suppose so."

Jason had been utterly weird lately.  
Leo wasn't sure what was wrong with him.

In the beginning, he had joked about it being because Jason had a thing for Nico himself and had been jealous of Percy.  
Then he had been worried he had actually been right, causing quite an argument between Jason and him.  
And by now, he was dreading he had been right.

"What's wrong, Jason?" He asked, deciding not to jump the 'Is it because your precious master has his eyes set on a certain guest rather than you'-train this time.

It had only led to unnecessary arguments, and Leo liked Jason way too much to fight with him all the time.

"Nothing. I'm just...thinking."

"About what?" Leo pried, joining him by the fire.

"Don't you ever wonder what's going to happen if the curse indeed is lifted?" Jason asked quietly, his eyes fixed on the flames.

Leo blinked. "Well, we'll turn human again, of course."

"Yeah, I know that. I meant more as in...what are we going to do? We'd have actual bodies again. No more flying through doors or playing hide and seek inside walls. We'd get tired and need sleep. We'd all have to find ourselves some sort of place to stay. We used to have houses before, Leo. Families to return to. Most of the people here, they don't have that anymore. They don't have any place to go and no family left, either. We can't all live here. Without bodies and without the need to sleep, we can live here just fine now, but what will happen then?"

Leo frowned thoughtfully. He had never really thought about that.

Usually, his thoughts only went towards 'Oh god, yes, I'll be human again!' and fill him with euphoria and anticipation and that was it.

He eyed his friend quietly from the side. "Well, I don't know. But I'm sure we'd make it work somehow. Did you talk to the master about this?"

Jason snorted. "How? He still thinks it's hopeless. Seriously, he is head over heels in love, everybody can see that. Just the way he looks after Percy when he thinks nobody notices shows that. He doesn't even deny it anymore. But still, he thinks it's pointless. He is absolutely certain Percy is not interested in him. He knows Percy is gay and still he doesn't make a move. Can you believe him?"

Leo chuckled at the shock in Jason's voice. "Well, can you blame him? It's not like he's had a lot of experience dating people. I myself don't know how to react to some girls, after all..."

"Leo, you have never even dated a girl, much less had the opportunity to, given that you scare away any potential within five minutes of meeting her." Jason put in unimpressed.

Leo scowled. "Gee, thanks. That is such a motivation booster. May I remind you that you are no better?"

"I dated Piper."

"You're not dating her anymore."

"Still, I dated somebody."

Leo didn't like the way he rubbed it in. He made a face. "And then you fell for the master and turned gay, so it doesn't count."

Jason groaned. "Not that again. Leo, I have never thought of him as more than a friend. Why do you have to be so difficult?"

"Me? Difficult? You are being the difficult one! I thought we were best friends, but then you go and avoid me for ages, spending countless hours hiding in your precious West Wing with your precious master. I don't know whether you're living in denial or simply can't admit to it, but I know what I'm seeing."

"Then you're blind and lying to yourself."

Leo was fuming, his hair catching on fire. Good thing he didn't have his body.

Somehow, his soul had the ability to randomly cause fires – which was great for roasting marshmallows and the like (if only he could eat them, too…), but quite tedious when talking to his friends or having a heated argument like right now.

"Yeah? Well, you know what? Fine. Suit yourself." He spat, turning around on the spot and marching towards the door.

He heard Jason sigh behind him. "Leo..." He started, but Leo hated the defeat in his voice.

As if he had already given up on making a point.  
But Leo wanted him to make a point.  
He wanted Jason to argue with him and tell him he didn't want Nico.  
He wanted Jason to hug him and hold him tight and reassure him there wasn't anything he had to worry about.

The truth was, Leo liked Jason. A lot.  
More than friends.  
Hell, a lot more than friends.

They had started off as best friends from the very start, building a trio with Leo's childhood friend Piper.  
Everything had been great. Then Piper had admitted to Leo that she had a thing for Jason, so Leo had asked Jason in a roundabout way whether he'd be interested too.  
And he had been, so Leo had done the obvious thing and played matchmaker.  
And he had been happy for them.

He really had been.

Until that one day when he had woken up realizing what he felt for Jason was not just love for a friend and general admiration, but love as in romantic love.  
And that the stinging feeling he got whenever he saw Jason with Piper was not some left-over effect from that one explosion of one of his many hobby projects he had been working on, but actually jealousy.

From then, things had simply gone down the hill.

Of course, Jason and Piper hadn't worked out. As it turned out, they had only been able to last for three months because Leo had been there, practically building bridges and keeping them together.  
When he had pulled back and distanced himself, the two had instantly fallen apart.

Leo still wasn't sure whether he should feel guilty about that.  
But then again, Piper now had a thing for Annabeth, so it was ok, he guessed.  
Jason had confided in him long ago that he was glad it was over between the two of them and that he wouldn't want to date Piper again – not because she had been so bad or anything, but because he only saw her as a friend.

So there was that.

But still, he really did seem to have a thing for their master.

Why else would he stick around him so much?  
Why else would he always stay in the West Wing, the only place Leo wasn't allowed to go?  
If they were best friends, shouldn't he have at least tried to get Nico to permit him there as well?  
Or was he trying to keep that place special, his special little connection to their master?

There, he was back to Jason having a thing for Nico again.

It just seemed so painfully obvious.

Why was life so unfair?  
Why did Jason have to fall for Nico, of all guys?  
Why couldn't he have fallen for Leo?  
That way Jason wouldn't be hurting because Nico was obviously not interested, and Leo wouldn't be hurting because Jason was obviously not interested.

Sulking, he turned into an orb of smoke and left for his favorite place – inside the wall of one of the old bedrooms that weren't in use anymore.

It was a weird place, but it was where Jason and he had first hid during their very first hide and seek as bodiless souls.

Leo still remembered them huddling close together inside that wall, trying to make no sound even though Leo had felt like laughing all the while, what with Jason going like 'Shht! I think I can hear something' every few seconds like the dork he was, ultimately giving them away that way.

Ah, well. The good old times.

Back then, hide and seek had still been so much fun.  
Nowadays, it was just boring and nobody bothered anymore.

Leo sighed, settling down in his little corner inside the wall and waiting for the day to pass.

He wished he could take a nap or something.  
But sadly, souls didn't care about sleep, even if Leo insisted he was feeling more and more tired by the day.  
He didn't voice that out anymore, though, ever since Will had said that this was one of the symptoms for depression.  
And Leo was never going to fall into depression.

He had had enough bad stuff happening in his life, this was not going to be the one thing to make him sick.

He sighed again, staring off into space.

That's when another orb of smoke appeared, sighing deeply and about to settle itself down as well before noticing Leo.

"Leo?"

"Jason?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I was here first. What are YOU doing here?" Leo asked defiantly, not wanting to give up his favorite spot in the castle.

"This is...I always come here when I...nevermind. I'll just look for a different place." Jason muttered, turning to leave again.

Leo wanted nothing more than to stop him. Hold him back and tell him to stay, stay with him and just spend time with him.

Like they had before.

It might not have been perfect and Leo had always craved for more, but he rather had that than this. Because this was even less than nothing.

Instead, he lashed out at Jason. "Of course. Go to your West Wing again, right? Or rather the training room, to ogle your secret crush."

Jason hesitated for a moment. Then he left the wall. "Whatever. I'll leave you to yourself." Leo heard him utter quietly.

Pain coursed through Leo and he pushed out of the wall himself, soaring after Jason who had materialized and walked away slowly.

"Yeah, leave me alone, will you? That's all you do nowadays anyways." He called after him, hurt and upset.

Jason stopped, looking around with sad eyes. "Well, it's apparent you don't want me around."

"I do, but you clearly don't want to be around me. May I remind you it's you who's been avoiding me, not the other way around?"

"I'm not avoiding you."

"True, you're just enjoying it so much to be around-..."

"Leo, don't go there again. How many times do I have to say-..."

"Then explain to me why the hell you are more around him than you are around me! Why you hide in the West Wing all day long, following him around like an obedient little puppy!"

"Because of you!" Jason exclaimed, groaning and putting his face in his hands.

Leo stared at him, even more pain rushing through him.

"Oh."

So he was the problem.

He turned around on the spot and walked away, not even sure where he was going to go or why he wasn't turning into an orb of smoke and disappeared.

Something inside him yelled at him, telling him this didn't make sense.  
Jason had just claimed he hadn't been avoiding Leo.  
And then said he had been hanging around Nico because of Leo.

Wasn't that technically avoiding him?

He didn't understand.

But he didn't want to know, either.

He heard cursing behind him and looked around, just to get ambushed by Jason, who grabbed him and pushed him against the wall they had just met in.

"Leo, don't you dare run off. That came out wrong. Let me explain." Jason pleaded, his face dangerously close to Leo's, who only stared at him with wide, unbelieving eyes.

And then Jason's gaze hushed down to Leo's lips, and he cursed again.

Leo had never heard him curse so much.  
Leo had also never seen that torn expression on his face.

Then Leo felt Jason's lips pressing against his own.

It was a weird sensation, especially since they were merely souls.  
But somehow, that made it all the more intimate.

Just as he was about to return the kiss, Jason pulled back quickly, letting go of Leo.

"I am so sorry, I shouldn't have done that. Sorry, Leo. I screwed up. Please..."

Leo just stood there, dumbfounded.

What...had just happened?

"Ja-...Jason?" He frowned, utterly confused.

This made even less sense.

Why would Jason kiss him?

"Leo, I'm sorry. I...this is exactly why I've been staying away."

"So you were avoiding me!"

"I was. I'm sorry, but I like you, Leo. I really do. I have for a while now. But lately, it's just...I can't...it's...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"You...you like me?" Leo repeated numbly, still rooted to the spot while Jason paced up and down in front of him, practically tearing his hair out.

"Yes. I like you. I love you. I want you. God, yes, I want you." Jason muttered, still pacing and seemingly completely beside himself.

"But...what about the master...?"

Jason groaned and was in front of Leo within a heartbeat (if they had any), grabbing his shoulders and seemingly at the edge of despair. "Leo, I love you! Not him, never him. We're friends, that's all. How many times do I have to tell you? I hid away in the West Wing so I wouldn't jump you or do something stupid, like confessing my love to you as I'm doing right now." He raved, looking at Leo with those stunning sky-blue eyes.

Leo stared at him speechless.

Jason liked him? Loved him?

Jason cringed, letting go of Leo and stepping away again, looking rather heartbroken.  
"I...should go now." He muttered quietly and turned to leave, looking guilty and uncomfortable.

Leo reacted instinctively, darting forward and grabbing hold of Jason before he could turn into an orb. "Don't you dare."

"Leo?"

"Stay."

"But..."

"I love you." Leo blurted, blushing heavily.

Jason's eyes widened. "This...what?"

"I love you. Also, this is the wall we hid in during our first hide and seek as bodiless souls. That's why it's my secret hideout. I've loved you for the past six years and I'm absolutely desperate to get your lips back onto mine just once more." He babbled and Jason gazed at him in stunned surprise for a moment.

Then his lips split into the widest and most dazzling smile Leo had ever seen and he moved forward, placing a gentle hand on Leo's cheek. "I know it is. I've been coming here a lot, too, whenever I was feeling especially down. I love you." He whispered, leaning forward to push his lips onto Leo's, but Leo rushed forward and met him halfway.

Yes.

Yes, this was exactly what he wanted.

God, it felt amazing.  
Weird and tingly and intimate, absolutely wonderful.

Leo parted his lips, wanting more, more, so much more.  
Jason instantly complied, letting his tongue slip inside and make pleasant shivers run down Leo's back.

They had no idea how far they could take this.  
None of the staff had ever tested out anything sexual (or at least nobody had ever talked about it).  
But right now, it didn't matter how far they could go.

It only mattered that Jason loved him and Leo was going to be ok with whatever they would be able to do.

The blonde pulled back slightly, panting and gazing at him in adoration.

"Six years?"

Leo fidgeted and nodded, unsure whether he was being creepy for wanting Jason for so long without ever saying a word.  
He felt Jason's hand on his chin, lifting his head slightly to give him a soft peck on the lips.

"I never knew...you always talked about girls and what a heartbreaker you are – or want to be...I never thought I'd have a chance..."

Leo wrapped his arms around Jason's neck, tugging him closer slightly while regretting to ever act straight after finding out he loved Jason.

"I didn't want you to find out. I mean, you were dating Piper so I knew you'd be straight and I just...didn't want to ruin our friendship..."

"I understand. I was feeling the same way. I actually wanted to tell you at one point, but then the curse kind of hit and I thought that if we have to stay like this forever, I'd rather stay best friends with you than let us fall apart like that." Jason explained, his hands on Leo's sides, connecting their lower bodies.

"Wait, that was four years ago." Leo suddenly realized, eyes widening slightly.

"Yes?" Jason frowned.

"You've loved me for four years?"

"I've loved you ever since I met you, Leo. Only it took me a long time to find out. Ultimately, I started realizing something was wrong when I was dating Piper and only had eyes for you."

Leo gaped at him.

"You...you did?"

"Of course."

Leo stared at him a moment longer, his mind reeling.

That meant...they kind of had a thing for each other all this time and were utterly oblivious to it? Both of them?

And they realized roughly around the same time?

He groaned and pulled Jason down. "I wish I had known. You have no idea how much I wanted to get my hands on you all this time." He murmured as he began letting his tongue slide in Jason's mouth, dominating his own tongue in their own little battle.

Jason pushed him against the wall further, his hands moving down Leo's side to his butt, giving it a tentative squeeze before moving lower and actually lifting Leo up ever so slightly.  
Leo moved his legs, wrapping them tightly around Jason and feeling his body pressing tightly against his.

Oh god, this felt so great.

"Me too." Jason breathed against his lips, hands now traveling upwards and beneath Leo's shirt, while Leo's arms were still tightly wrapped around Jason's neck, keeping their faces together.

"Oh god, Jason..." He moaned as Jason began to kiss along his jaw to his neck and downwards, kissing, licking and nibbling on his skin hungrily.

"Leo..." Jason breathed and came back for another kiss, then moved down to Leo's collarbones, moving his shirt to get to them better.

"Oh."

"Oh."

Two voices sounded behind them and Leo and Jason both looked around with a mixture of surprise and shock.  
They were too much into this to really be embarrassed, not even bothering to put any distance between them – Jason didn't even let Leo down.

Nico and Percy stood there, both with their eyebrows raised.

There was something like amusement in Nico's gaze, but his face seemed fairly indifferent.

Percy however grinned broadly, winking and giving them a small thumbs up before grabbing hold of Nico's arm and turning away again.  
  
"Don't let us disturb you, we're already gone." He claimed in an amused sing-song voice and lead Nico away, who only chuckled ever so quietly and went with him.

Jason and Leo looked after them for a moment, then turned to each other again and pressed their lips together.

"We should look for a room." Jason muttered, making Leo's insides fill with anticipation and want. "Yes?"

"Yes. I want to know how far we can take this."

Oh, that sounded so very promising.

"Would you be ok with that?" Jason inquired quietly, giving Leo's nose a quick peck before his eyes began searching Leo's.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Absolutely. For all I care we can stay bodiless forever, forget the curse, as long as I got you I'm happy."

He knew he was being sappy right now. Not even saying it with his typical 'Meh'-voice didn't make it less sappy.  
In fact, it made it seem all the more sappy.

Jason grinned at him broadly, his hands on Leo's butt again to support him while he moved them from the wall and towards the door to the empty bedroom.

"I love you, Leo."

"I love you too, Jason."

They grinned at each other stupidly, then started kissing all over again, disappearing into the bedroom.

Yes, this was the best day in Leo's life.

.

"I'm so glad they worked things out." Percy said cheerily and still grinned from ear to ear.

Nico mustered him from the side, his lips twitching as they did so very often ever since Percy's arrival.

"I see that you aren't surprised whatsoever."

"Nah, I was wondering about the two of them ever since I met them. They seemed so close and the way they looked at each other and such...I kind of thought they were dating, but then I found out they weren't. So I thought maybe I was wrong, but then they kept arguing about...well...Jason would always stay around you and avoid Leo, so Leo obviously thought Jason liked you, not him." Percy explained shrugging.

"Me? That's stupid. Nobody would want somebody like me." Nico snorted, noting how his voice sounded way too bitter.

Percy frowned at him. "That's not true. Why would you say something like that?" He asked him confused.

Nico's heart did a little somersault, but he pushed it down.

"Percy, I don't know if you haven't noticed, but I'm kind of the creepy vampire-freak-person with a haunted house. I don't really see how anybody could love that."

Percy still frowned. "You're not a vampire or freak, Nico. And you're not all that creepy, either. You might want to be, but you are one of the kindest people I know. People simply have to look beneath the surface and give you a chance, then I'm sure you'll find a girl that loves you just the way you are."

His words were like balm for his soul, making his insides all fluttery and giddy and he could practically watch the castle become brighter all around them.

The black marble was almost white again, the pictures on the walls full of angels and sunshine and goodness, unlike the evil, demon-ish creatures before, and the sculptures had mostly returned to their original shapes as well.

He often watched Percy eyeing these things with that curious gleam in his eyes.  
This whole castle and its secrets were like one big adventure to Percy.  
It was endearing to watch him trying to find out everything about him.

Also, it made Nico happy he could provide Percy with something he had always wanted without having to let him go out in the world for it.  
He had said he had always wanted some sort of adventure.  
Nico might not be able to travel around the world with him and discover the secrets of the universe, but he could take him around the castle and tell him what he knew.

He sighed, thinking over Percy's words. They were nice and all, but still only words.  
Plus, he really should tell Percy he wasn't interested in girls. He wished he had told Percy about being gay when he had had the chance.

It had been such a perfect opportunity, and he had let it pass.

How was he supposed to let him know, now?  
Not that it would make any difference, of course.  
Last night, the second petal had fallen off his rose, leaving only one puny little black petal on the green stem.

He knew it was pointless.

Even with Percy's pretty words, there was nobody who would turn to love him in a few weeks' time.

"Thanks." He muttered quietly, unsure what else to say but he knew that 'thanks' didn't cover the gratitude and love he felt for his boy.

"It's the truth." Percy stated flatly, looking as if he was going to pout any moment.

Nico smiled softly. "Ok. So what do you want to do? Finishing the book doesn't seem to be an option anymore with Jason and Leo...busy."

Percy chuckled. "I guess not...hey, is that even possible? Like...you know..."

Nico looked around at him questioning and noticed a slight blush on the boy's cheeks.

Ah, that.

"I don't know. I wouldn't know, would I? It's not like I go after my staff and ask them about their...activities."

Percy threw him a bemused glance. "I'd love to see that."

Nico shoved him playfully and suddenly noticed they were walking towards the West Wing.  
What was he leading Percy here for?

He stopped abruptly, causing Percy to look around surprised. "Nico?"

Oh, he loved it when Percy called him by his name.  
It sounded so nice – and Nico usually didn't like his name much.

"So...what would you like to do? We can look around the castle some more if you so wish, or we could go back into the training room, though I think you've had enough exercise for the day." He said quietly, looking Percy up and down.

He had shown Percy some more moves, not exactly sparring with him like the past days, but teaching him.  
That's also why they weren't a sweaty mess, but still looked and smelled fairly decent.  
Then again, Nico loved Percy's scent no matter if he was freshly bathed or had hours of intense training behind him.

Percy gazed out of the window thoughtfully, hands on his sides.  
It only highlighted his lean frame, filling Nico with the urge to touch him.  
But he kept himself in check.

As much as he would have loved to imitate what Leo and Jason had done, he would never force himself onto Percy.  
Especially not after knowing there already was somebody who had tried his best to get into his pants.

Nico inwardly cringed. He didn't like thinking about that.  
He also didn't like thinking about whether Percy actually had had any...encounters.  
Whether he had experience.  
It was nothing of his business, anyways.

And if Percy did have experience, then that was simply how it was, Nico couldn't blame him for it.  
He was a real beauty after all. Anybody would be glad to get his hands on him.  
Nico certainly would do almost anything.

Who knew, maybe, given enough time...maybe there could be a chance Percy could see more in him.  
Not anytime soon, of course.  
But maybe, just maybe, in a year or two, Percy just might like him enough to give them a try.

If Nico could keep him for so long.  
He had noticed how Percy would get a faraway gleam in his eyes whenever something was mentioned that reminded him of his family.  
He knew Percy missed them.  
He couldn't blame him for that.  
It was natural.

Nico knew he could simply ignore it.  
But it kept nagging on him.  
He really didn't want to force Percy to stay.

He kind of did because he would die to have Percy stay, but at the same time, he wanted Percy to stay because Percy wanted to.  
So all in all, he wanted to force Percy to want to stay with him.

He was pathetic.

He looked down the hallways towards the staircase leading to the West Wing.  
He had already given up on lifting the curse.  
Hell, he had never even held any hope to lift it in the first place.

Maybe Nico should tell his staff.

They were getting more excited by the day, seemingly hoping for Percy to be the one to break the curse.  
But if he had already given up on it, why was he still making such a big deal about it?  
It wasn't as if Percy didn't know there was a curse.  
He might not know the details, but he knew there was one and he had seen the flower.

There was nothing secret about the West Wing anymore.

And the only reason Nico wasn't permitting anybody there was because he had wanted to be by himself most of the time.  
But now, he didn't want to be alone anymore, did he?

He turned to Percy, who gazed back at him with a somber expression in his eyes, as if he had just come to some sort of conclusion.

"How about I show you the West Wing?" He offered, watching Percy's expression change to surprise and then confusion.

"What? But I'm not allowed in the West Wing." He muttered frowning, making Nico push down a laugh.

" _Now_ you care about my orders? A bit late, don't you reckon? Come." He said with a nod and started walking, knowing Percy would come after him.

He stopped on the staircase to see Percy hesitating at the foot of the stairs, looking up at him uncertainly.

Nico smiled, gesturing with his head. "What? You can come here when you're forbidden to, but you are halting when I'm allowing it? I'll keep that in mind for the next order I give."

Percy chuckled and threw him an exasperated glance, then he tentatively followed him up the stairs, seemingly still wondering whether Nico was going to change his mind.  
Nico lead him across the hallway towards his room, noting how bright it was nowadays compared to back when Percy had come here unannounced.

The light filtered in through the big, uncovered windows, tinging the hall in soft colors and making the gold threads in the tapestries shimmer and glow.  
The tapestries were still the same as always, as they showed Nico's innermost thoughts and memories. Things that had shaped him to be who he was now.

He heard Percy's footsteps becoming slower and stopped, looking around to watch him eye one of the tapestries quietly.  
It was the one showing Nico's sister Bianca, surrounded by the bandits that had become her downfall.

Nico hated that memory.  
Mainly because he had seen it with his own eyes out of the very window at the end of the hall and had rushed out to come to his sister's aid, just to hold her dying body in his arms.

He felt as if he had swallowed acid.

"This is your sister, isn't it?" Percy asked, his voice barely audible.

Nico hesitated for a moment, then he walked over to his prince.

"Yes. That's Bianca di Angelo. She was killed by bandits on her way back to the castle. The bandits were never found."

"That's horrible."

"Yes, it is. If I had been faster..." If he had just been faster, if he had just been there...if he had gone with her in the first place...she might still be alive today.

Percy looked around at him worriedly.

Nico pressed his lips tightly together. "I could have saved her."

"I'm sure you tried your best." Percy tried cautiously, but Nico shook his head.

"It wasn't good enough. Don't try, Percy. This is one of the things I have to live with."

"You could always talk to me about it, if you wished."

Nico's lips twitched. "Maybe another day. Any other memory you want to look at before we go into my room?" He asked, watching bemused how Percy's eyes instantly glinted with that thirst of knowledge, looking about the hallway hurriedly.

"How about...all of them?" He asked cheekily, nibbling on his bottom lip and looking at Nico almost pleadingly.

Nico sighed deeply. "Sure."

"What, really?" Percy seemed utterly stunned, looking at Nico dumbfounded.

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Ready to solve the mystery of Nico di Angelo?"

Percy's eyes widened. Then a small smile played on his lips. "I think even if I knew all about you, you'd still be a mystery to me. You're special that way."

Nico's heart did a little somersault at the words, his insides on fire.

Why did Percy have to say things like that?  
He knew Percy didn't mean it like that, but why did he have to say stuff like that with such a serious face?  
Why did he have to make Nico all giddy inside?  
He was meant to be the Ghost King! Untouchable, unreadable, cold and hard.  
Instead he was an emotional wreck, his emotions plainly written on his face. He guessed he was cold temperature-wise, but he certainly wasn't heartless and cold (even though he sometimes still tried).  
The hard part...he did not want to elaborate that.

"Well, we'll see in a bit. Which one do you want to talk about first?"

"The first one." Percy instantly replied.

Why wasn't he surprised? He took Percy over to the tapestry next to his door, showing himself as a little child with his sister, his mother, his father and plenty of staff, playing in the garden.

It was one of the first memories of his childhood he could remember, and a source of comfort as well as self-pity whenever he felt down (which had been most of the time before Percy had come along).

"This is my family. My sister Bianca, my mum and my...father. The others are staff. You might recognize some faces, since they are the parents of the staff I have today. They used to work here, but I released them from service a week before the curse. I didn't need that many people working for me and let the old ones go. Back then, I thought it was the wisest thing to do. Give the young ones a safe workplace and pay enough to guarantee the old ones didn't have to look for a new job."

Percy nodded quietly, his gaze transfixed on little Nico.

"We were a happy little family back then, I guess. Used to play a lot in the garden and with the guard dogs, much to my father's dismay."

"You look happy."

"Be surprised all you want, but I used to be a pretty cheerful child." Nico said drily, looking slightly disgruntled at Percy, who only grinned at him, a fond gleam in his eyes.

"I'd have like to see that."

Nico only made a face and walked over to the next one on the opposite wall.

"This is from the time my mum fell ill." He explained, gazing at the tapestry of his mother in bed, demons sitting around her, waiting to take her apart, while a faint light shone from above, showing what Nico had hoped – that his mother had died without too much pain and had gone to heaven, if such a thing existed.

Of course, there hadn't been real demons around her at the time, but Nico had always imagined them to lurk in the shadows around them in the room, waiting for her condition to worsen while they had all tried their best to save her.

Percy looked down, seemingly unsure what to say or if to speak at all.

"She was a beautiful woman." He then muttered quietly, kicking at some dirt.

Nico nodded. "Yes, she was. She was beautiful and strong and the best mother one could have wished for. She took great care of Bianca and me, as well as the rest of the staff, always taking everyone into consideration."

"She sounds a lot like you." Percy remarked, looking at Nico with that odd expression in his eyes again that Nico caught every now and then lately. He really couldn't place it yet, though.

Nico frowned. "Not really. As I said, she was beautiful and caring and amazing."

"Exactly."

Nico felt his face flush and turned back towards the tapestry.

"W-Whatever. She was liked by pretty much everyone, so when she died...it felt as if all of us lost a piece of ourselves with her. A lot of people quit soon after, too heartbroken to continue working here. You have to consider that it was quite difficult to find a new job after giving one up like that. But they didn't care, that's how hurt they were."

"And you?"

"I was devastated. I mean, I still had my sister, but I really missed my mother. She had always been there for me, so when she was just suddenly gone...it was difficult. My father's state didn't help much either." Nico explained, guiding Percy over to the next tapestry, showing the shadow of a man leaving on horseback, riding towards the dark and eery forest.

"He was so lost in grief about the death of our mother, he has stopped functioning. He locked himself up in his study rather than talk to us or even acknowledge our existence anymore. I also heard the staff muttering sometimes about him drinking, but I never saw it, so I can't vouch for it. Anyways, he left soon after. Didn't leave a note. Didn't say goodbye. I don't think he even noticed us when he walked past us to the front door and rode out into the world."

"That's horrible. What kind of father would do something like-...sorry..." Percy started, looking around incredulously, just to stop dead and look down shamefaced.

"It's ok. I agree. He was no father at all to us in that time. I remember at first I was so upset that he had just abandoned us like that. I resented him for leaving us. If he had actually looked around himself, he could have seen that he still had two children to take care of. But he was so stuck in his misery that he didn't want to see anything else."

Percy eyed him thoughtfully for a moment.  
Nico made a face. He could practically see what Percy was thinking about.

He knew it himself, after all.  
He was a lot like his father.  
But he had lost everything. His mother, his father and his sister. His father still had had Bianca and Nico.

Still, Nico had fallen into despair and misery the same way his father had done, turning bitter and cold over the years. If he had had the chance to leave...he probably would have.

"I guess you realize I'm a lot more like him than my mum." He stated quietly, walking to the tapestry next to this one, since the other one would be Bianca's death.

"No. I still think you're more like her, but that you simply never learned how else to deal with the loss other than to lock the pain up inside you. You lost your mother and watched your father grief in silence, your father left and I bet everybody else grieved in silence about his departure. Then you lost your sister and not knowing what else to do, you locked up all that pain inside you and never let it out."

Nico stared at him, stunned.  
Then he turned his face away quickly, staring at the tapestry showing that one fateful night four years ago, when the witch Hecate had come knocking on his door.  
It showed him as he had been that day. Already a shadow of his former self, nothing compared to the little, cheerful child they had seen on the first tapestry.  
He was opening the door to see the witch Hecate holding up the white rose, the petals turning black from inside out, showing his bitterness.

"This was four years ago. An old woman came by the castle, wishing to stay the night. I hadn't been getting visitors in forever, so I wasn't keen on letting anybody stay. Wanting to be alone in my misery, I sent her away. She asked me rethink my decision, but that only rubbed me the wrong way. Then she turned out to be a witch and well...she cursed me."

Percy gazed at the tapestry intently, trying to take it all in. "I still don't know a thing about that curse." He muttered quietly, more to himself than to Nico.

Nico's lips twitched. What was he supposed to tell him now?

'Oh, it's a magical thing where I have to find the love of my life before the last petal falls, which happens to be in a few weeks, it seems. So, feeling up to falling in love with me?'

Uh, no.

"Well, I'd say you know plenty about it. I was cursed to stay in these walls forever, not permitted to ever step outside the castle grounds – not that I'd ever want to, anyways. The castle takes on my mood, my innermost feelings. Hence, it was dark and brooding for the past four years. My staff was ripped off their bodies, leaving only their souls behind so they wouldn't age. I myself have stopped aging."

"You were nineteen when the curse happened, right? So you'd be twenty-three now?"

"I would be."

"So, how do you break the curse?" Percy asked cruiously, his fingers tracing the outline of the rose on the tapestry.

Nico hesitated. "It's...that's..." He sighed deeply. "What makes you think there's a way to break it?"

"Isn't there? There always is a way to break curses." Percy insisted, looking around determinedly.

Nico smiled pained. "I fear that's not going to happen."

"Why?"

Nico didn't reply, instead looking over to the next tapestry, showing the dark castle and the black rose, petals falling down, joining the ones at the bottom.

It was pointless.  
Nico lowered his gaze.

Percy placed his hand on his shoulder gently. "Nico?"

Nico tried for a smile. "Come. That's enough about me for now." He announced, taking Percy's hand and leading him over to his room, relishing the fact he could touch Percy like this.

Also, he loved how Percy's hand took a hold of his as well, giving it a tentative, comforting squeeze.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"What do you mean, you don't know how to dance?" Percy asked incredulously and Nico's scowl deepened.

How had the conversation gone from donuts for horses to dancing?  
And why hadn't Nico managed to prevent it?

"I never learned, nor did I see a reason to learn it." He said quietly, trying to concentrate on his food.

But Percy wouldn't have it. "You're a prince, a king. You got to know how to dance! Even I know how to dance."

Nico raised an eyebrow, looking Percy up and down as he sat in his new favorite place right next to Nico at the long dining table.  
He couldn't believe Percy was talking to him about etiquette when he himself was completely ignoring seating arrangements and dining etiquette on a regular basis (as well as any order Nico uttered, at any rate).  
Percy met his glance but seemed to misinterpret it, scowling back at him. "I'll let you know I'm a pretty good dancer."

"Didn't doubt you for a second."

Percy opened his mouth again to speak, but then blinked and closed it again, eyeing Nico suspiciously for a moment, as if wondering what was going on in Nico's head.  
Oh, he so didn't want to know.  
Nico smiled to himself and concentrated back on his plate.

It was early evening, but since they had spent most of their day in the training room sparring, they had decided to have dinner early.  
It felt so nice and normal to have Percy here by now.

This was the third month.

Nico sighed, thinking of the rose in his room.  
The last petal was about to fall.  
He knew it was.

He had talked to Jason and Piper after they had looked at it with worried gazes.  
Had told them he thought it hopeless.  
They hadn't argued. Hadn't been annoyed or upset.

If anything, they had been understanding, telling him it was ok if the curse wasn't lifted after all.  
Nico didn't believe it, of course.  
He knew how badly the staff wanted their bodies back.

He couldn't blame them.  
He himself could wish for nothing more than have them return to their bodies and live a normal life.

Nico wished he himself could lead a normal life.  
With Percy.  
Even if Percy would stay with him, Nico would never age, never grow old and die.  
He'd be forced to watch Percy grow older and die – if Percy would ever stay that long.

Nico didn't know how much time there was left.  
Maybe a week, maybe three days.  
For all he knew, the petal could have already fallen now.  
They could already be cursed for eternity.

"Dance with me." Percy suddenly said, getting up.

"What?" Nico asked stunned as Percy held out his hand.

"Dance with me. I'll show you how to."

"I really don't..."

"No excuses. You trained with me and showed me new moves. I'm going to teach you how to dance." Percy said determinedly and Nico took his hand, letting him pull him after him to the big empty space that used to actually be for dancing back when there used to be balls here in the castle.

Nico spotted Jason and Leo at the door, giving him way too obvious thumbs up and broad grins.  
He scowled at them and looked back at Percy, who grinned to himself like the endearing fool he was.

"Ok, you stand like this, put your hand here...like that. Now, copy my moves. I have to think for a moment, since I usually am the one leading." Percy explained, stepping closer to Nico and moving his hand to Percy's side, while placing his own on Nico's shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze, accompanied by a small smile.

Then Percy moved and Nico looked down to their feet, trying his best to move after Percy without toppling over or stepping on his feet.

It was official: He was pathetic.

"You're doing well. This is the basic step. Next, you go like this and..." Percy started and moved, and out of reflex or intuition or whatever other part of Nico's body that was acting up right now, he swirled Percy around out of the position he was in.

Percy looked at him surprised for a moment, hand finding its way back onto Nico's shoulder.

Then he beamed at him. "Exactly. See? You're doing just fine. Let's try again. This time, look at me, not our feet."

Nico gazed into his stunning green eyes.  
Hey, he had to make the best of it as long as he was allowed to openly stare at him, right?

He started, much slower than how Percy had showed him, but Percy didn't complain, instead grinning at him reassuringly.  
Nico liked how there wasn't that much height difference between them. Percy was only a bit shorter than him, really, and Nico loved it.

He stepped closer unconsciously, only noticing when he saw Percy raising a bemused eyebrow, but he didn't distance himself.

They kept on dancing.  
Even if it was only the basic step.

Then Nico heard music starting behind him and stopped, both of them letting go of each other and looking around to see several members of staff, including the medic Will, looking at them encouragingly and readying their instruments.

Nico and Percy exchanged a long look.

Then Percy shrugged and grinned – and Nico made a decision.

He made a small bow. "May I have this dance?" He asked and reached out a hand.

This was how he had seen other guys ask girls for a dance back when he was younger.  
He only hoped he wasn't making a fool of himself now.

Then again, this was Percy. He would never make Nico feel stupid.

Nico looked up to find Percy beaming brightly at him, his hand taking Nico's.  
Nico felt his heart miss a few beats and joy and elation surged through him as he pulled Percy closer, returning to their original stance – no, he probably shouldn't refer to this like that, this wasn't fighting, after all.

The staff behind them started a slow tune, making Nico awkwardly aware that this was something lovers would do.  
Still, one look at Percy's openly happy face was all it took to make him relax again, his hand firmly on Percy's side, feeling the warmth, the life, radiating from him.  
Their eyes locked and Nico started moving.

Percy replied with smooth, flowing movements at precisely the right time and exactly how Nico moved, as if the two of them had been doing this for years, not just a few minutes.  
Then Nico forgot everything around him, lost in those green eyes and that dazzling smile, swirling Percy around for fun even if it wasn't exactly what he was supposed to do right then and there, but neither cared.  
Percy's hand always returned to that spot on Nico's shoulder, squeezing it sometimes, stroking his thumb over it other times.

Nico smiled back at him stupidly, noticing how they were way too close for this to be a real, official dance.  
But if Percy minded, he didn't show it.

Quite the opposite, he was the one who first let go of Nico's hand, putting both his arms around Nico's neck, getting even closer as both of Nico's hands placed themselves on Percy's sides.  
They just kept moving from foot to foot to the sound of the slow music around them, uncaring whether this was dancing or just fooling around, lost in their own little world.

Nico could have gone on forever.

Luckily for Percy, the staff did let the tune fade out and they stopped after what felt like forever, just grinning at each other stupidly.

"I'd say you can dance just fine." Percy then remarked and Nico chuckled.

"You think so? I should give my thanks to the teacher, then."

"Yeah, you probably should."

"Thank you, then. For teaching me how to dance."

"You're welcome. You're a fast learner. I can teach you some more dances, if you want to."

"If they are as pleasant as this one, sure."

Percy's ears turned slightly pink, making Nico want to tug him closer and place a kiss on them.  
He looked so adorable.  
Nico noticed off-handedly that his hands were still on Percy's sides, so he pulled them back reluctantly, stepping back.  
Percy grinned sheepishly and they looked around to the staff, all huddled together muttering to each other.

Nico chuckled. "Oh my. This is going to spread like wildfire through the castle."

"Well, that's not too bad. All they can say is that you are one hell of a dancer. I'd take it as a compliment." Percy shrugged and Nico threw him a bemused glance.

That wasn't exactly what he was talking about. He was more talking about the fact that he had danced with Percy.  
Slow-danced with Percy, much closer than they should have.

The whole castle probably thought this was it and they'd so break the curse.  
His smile faltered.  
Maybe he should tell Percy.  
Tell him he liked him.

He was certain Percy didn't feel the same way, but at least Nico would have done his part of trying to break the curse.  
If not for himself, then for his people.  
It wasn't their fault he had turned the witch Hecate away.

"Are you ok?" Percy asked quietly, worry in his gaze.

How come he always knew if there was something unpleasant on Nico's mind?  
He was sure he always looked fairly indifferent.  
Nico saw Jason open the wide glass doors to the balcony.

"I'm fine. How about we catch some fresh air?" He offered his arm automatically and found Percy taking it instantly, smiling at him and letting him lead him outside.

As they passed Jason, Leo came up behind the blonde and wrapped his arms around him, winking at Nico and wriggling his eyebrows encouragingly.  
Nico only rolled his eyes and glanced at Percy out of the corner of his eyes, watching him look towards the couple with a fond smile on his face.  
Percy was so precious.

Nico sat them down on the stone bench next to the railing, the sun setting behind the forest, tinging everything in soft orange and red colors. Warm colors.  
Like Percy.

Nico sighed, just to find Percy doing likewise.  
They looked at each other surprised.

"What's wrong?" Nico asked worriedly, instinctively placing a hand on Percy's thigh.

When had they started to touch each other so much?  
How had it happened?  
Why was it so natural?

Percy nibbled on his lip and looked out over the forest into the distance.

"Nothing...it's just...I was just thinking..."

Nico's heart sank. He knew that tone of voice.

"Your family?"

Percy hesitated for a moment. Then he nodded slowly.

"I was just wondering how they're doing...I mean, I like it here, but..."

"You miss them." Nico provided as Percy's voice trailed off.

He nodded slowly, shoulders sagging slightly.

"If I could just...see them once more. Tell them I'm alright...know that they're alright..." He muttered, his eyes cast downwards, his face full of sad acceptance at his fate.

Nico inwardly cringed.

He squeezed Percy's thigh lightly, a lump forming in his throat.

Then he thought of the mirror he had and got up.

"Wait here." He muttered, disappearing inside the building again, leaving behind a confused Percy.

*****

When he came back, Percy was standing at the railing, still looking into the distance, but he turned around when he heard Nico approaching.

"Where did you..." He started, but Nico handed him the mirror quietly.

"This...this can show you your parents. I know it's not much, but maybe...maybe it will..."

Maybe it will keep you here with me.  
He couldn't say it.

Pain ebbed through him. He knew it was hopeless.  
But maybe, just maybe, it would be enough for Percy.

Maybe he could take a look at his parents being happy or something and maybe it could be good enough for him.  
Maybe he would stay with Nico.  
Maybe.

But he highly doubted it.

Percy still looked at him confused, then looked down at the mirror.

"Just...tell it whoever you wish to see. I used it the night you fled the castle, that's how I knew you were in trouble. It won't let you speak to them, but it can show you where they are and how they are doing." He explained quietly, noticing himself how his voice was sounding cold and bitter again, distant.

Percy hesitated a moment longer, then he opened his mouth slowly. "Please...show me my parents. Sally and Paul." He uttered uncertainly, gazing at the mirror almost fearful.

Nico stared past him at the setting sun, wondering if he should leave Percy alone for a while.

"What..." Percy breathed, his eyes widening and his face paling.

Nico looked at him alarmed. "What is it?" He asked frowning, coming over and hesitantly looking over Percy's shoulder at the image in the mirror, hoping he wasn't crossing any lines.

But Percy even tilted the mirror for him to better see.

"It's my parents, but..."

Nico gazed at the scene the mirror showed.

There was Paul, looking sickly and weak, barricading the door of what seemed to be a small hut, while a beautiful, yet exhausted looking woman hurried past him and put what looked like boards across the windows, picking up what looked like a chicken and putting it to a few others in a corner, together with two pigs that looked utterly distressed.

"Why are they locking up the house? What's going on? And why are the animals inside? Is it just me, or does my dad still look sick? Are they ok? And my mum...I've never seen her so exhausted and...old...it looks as if she aged years in the past three months..." Percy stammered, looking worried and scared.

Nico swallowed and looked down at the mirror again, seeing what looked like a stone smashing one of the windows from the outside.

It was obvious. Percy's parents were in danger.  
This was it, then.  
He couldn't turn a blind eye on this.  
He couldn't keep Percy here, knowing his family was in trouble.  
He didn't want Percy, nor the people he cared about to be hurting.  
Percy deserved better.

Acceptance flooded through his body, leaving a cold, empty feeling behind.

For a moment, he wanted to curl up into a ball and cry and just ignore everything around him and act like he didn't know any of this.

But he didn't.

"Percy..." He started quietly, his throat constricting and burning as if he had swallowed acid.

Percy looked up with those beautiful, green eyes.  
Those eyes that had looked right through the facade and seen Nico for who he really was.  
Those eyes that had looked right into his soul and that had torn down all the walls he had built around himself.

Nico closed his eyes, averting his face, unwilling to let Percy see too much.  
He pushed the mirror back into his hands.

"Go." He said, his entire being crumbling to pieces on the inside at that one word.

"W-What?" Percy asked, staring at him in disbelief.

"Go. Help them. They need you." Nico muttered, pushing his hands into his pockets as they began to shake violently.

Percy still stood there, rooted to the spot, staring at him.

"I...you're free. You don't have to stay here anymore. Go and save them." Nico turned his back to Percy, feeling his eyes sting and his heart clench painfully.

"I...I'm free...?" Percy repeated, voice still laced with disbelief.

"Yes." Nico said and felt arms wrap around him from behind.

"Thank you..." He heard Percy breathe ever so softly, squeezing him tightly before letting go, about to hurry from the balcony.

Then he hesitated, turning back to Nico and holding out the mirror to him.

Nico looked at him from the side and shook his head. "Keep it. If you ever happen to want to come back...it will show you the way..." He knew there was no way Percy would come back.

But it was one small thread of hope he couldn't let go of yet.  
Percy nodded and hurried from the balcony, back inside and then, he was gone.  
And Nico was alone.

"Sir? Are you alright? It seems like things are going pretty well with Percy, huh? Maybe there is hope for the curse after all." Jason said quietly, stepping up behind Nico.

"I let him go." Nico said quietly, noting how his voice was empty, hollow.

"You...what?" Jason asked, taking a sharp breath.

"His parents need him. I let him go. He's free." Nico said, pain slicing through his insides.

He heard the neighing of a horse and the sound of galloping hooves sounding from where the front gate was, making its way into the distance.  
And as the sound began to fade, Nico felt the despair and loneliness push down on him, the castle replying to the pain inside him.

The walls that had almost turned their original white turned pitch black again, the floors rumbling ominously, mourning the loss of the warmth and light Percy's presence had offered.  
The castle and the castle grounds were plunged into darkness, pain and misery and hopelessness radiating from everything inside it.

"S-Stop it, master!" Jason called horrified, but Nico didn't react.

"Go. You can all go. Go wherever you want to. Save yourselves. Be happy. Live." He muttered listlessly, hollow inside.

Birds that had settled in the trees on the castle grounds for the first time in years flew away in horror, the staff hurrying around in confusion as Jason hurried inside to get to Leo and the others, the walls still shaking and glass breaking.

Nico didn't care.  
Nothing mattered anymore.  
Percy was gone.

And he would never see him again.  
Nico's heart clenched, making him feel as if it was breaking apart over and over again.  
He sat down on the stone bench, staring off into the distance, into the world Percy belonged to.

Into the world he could never be a part of.

He put his face to his hands, just sitting there on the stone bench in the cold, the sunset and its beauty forgotten, the darkness collecting around him as if he could control the shadows, clouding the forest and the sun from his view.

Clouding _that world_ from his view.

*****

Percy rode as if his life depended on it, spurring poor Blackjack on and on, hoping the horse would forgive him later.

His parents.

What the hell was going on?  
What had all of that meant?  
Why were they locking themselves up?  
Who was attacking them?  
Were they going to be ok?

He didn't dare to look back to the castle, swallowing hard and spurring Blackjack on further.

He would come back.  
That was for sure.

He would help his parents and get them out of whatever trouble they were in.  
And then he would return to Nico.  
He had to return to Nico.

A feeling of confused happiness filled him at the thought of the Ghost King.  
He had actually released him.

Percy wasn't a prisoner anymore. Not a 'guest with extended staying regulations'.

It wasn't as if Percy hadn't like it, but now, this meant when he returned, they could be on somewhat equal grounds.  
As equal as one could get compared to a prince/king.

They could be friends, could build their relationship on something both parties could freely agree on.  
And even if Nico would never be interested in Percy in a romantic way, Percy could still be there for him and they could be together the way Nico allowed them to be.

And who knew, maybe someday Nico would tell Percy how to break the curse.  
Maybe there would be a way for him to help him.

But right now, he had to save his family.  
He had no idea what was going on or what he was getting himself into.  
He had no idea what to expect or how to get them out of there.  
Nor where to take them in case things would turn nasty.

But maybe, just maybe, Nico could help Percy with that.  
Maybe, if worst came to worst, Percy could ask Nico to take his parents in for a while before they could find a different place in a different town to stay.  
Nico was a kind person, so Percy didn't doubt him for a second.  
He had taken one look at Percy's family and let him go free to help them.  
Percy was sure he'd be ok with taking them in for a short while.  
He had endured Percy for the past three months after all.

Percy rode on and on, trusting Blackjack to know the way, since he certainly didn't.

"I'm so sorry, Blackjack. I swear I'll make sure to make it up to you. Then again, you ate at least a thousand donuts the past months. That ought to stand for something, right?" He muttered and Blackjack whinnied wistfully at the word 'donuts'.

Percy chuckled quietly. "Yes, I'll get you more donuts. Just get me to my parents as fast as possible, ok? It's an emergency." He explained, wondering what Nico would think of him if he knew he was talking to his horse.

Then again, he had a feeling Nico knew, since he had come to the stables twice while Percy had combed Blackjack down for fun and to spend some time with him, having awesome monologues about the staff and the castle and translating Blackjack's neighs to whatever he thought fitting.  
Nico had never said anything, though, only raised a questioning eyebrow with that bemused expression on his face.

Nico.

Percy smiled fondly and Blackjack neighed. "You got it, boss." Percy translated, shaking his head at himself and felt Blackjack picking up speed.

He loved this horse.

*****

"Paul, come on, you have to lay down and rest. It will be ok, you'll see. Everything will be fine." Sally tried feebly, urging her wildly coughing husband back into bed.

The past months hadn't been easy.  
Paul's condition had at first improved, but either because of stress or his inner distress about Percy, he hadn't healed up completely – and as soon as the herbs had run out, his condition had worsened again.  
His leaving the house and roaming the woods in search for Percy hadn't helped much, either.

Sally had no idea how many times she had had to look for him.

The people of the town thought him mad, but he was only mad with grief and guilt.  
He had sat Sally down and told her the whole entire story.  
In the beginning, she couldn't believe it.  
But by now, she truly did. It sounded just like Percy to do something like that.

Over the past month, Paul had finally stopped searching for the castle, instead staying with Sally, taking care of the animals even with his illness and the two of them had clung to each other, both grieving the loss of their son together.

Sally knew Percy was still alive. She could feel it.  
Or at least, so she would like to think.

A few weeks ago, the real problems had started, though.  
Since Paul was sick and couldn't work and Percy wasn't here anymore, Sally had had to work extra at the bakery to make up for the loss of income.

Then suddenly, rumors had started spreading about them selling off Percy to some secret slave markets or simply to the highest bidder they had gotten.  
It was absurd.

But people actually seemed to believe it after some time, avoiding Sally and not visiting the bakery anymore during her work shifts, thus causing her to lose her job.  
It had been tough, but Sally had stood strong and taken care of the animals instead, convincing Paul to stay in bed.

In the beginning, she hadn't told him. She hadn't wanted to worry him even more.  
But at some point, he had noticed, of course.  
Noticed how she didn't go into town much anymore, since people called her a whore and a monster for selling her son off and refusing to sell her anything.  
Noticed how she had less and less livestock by the day because sheep and pigs started disappearing mysteriously, until she had started cooping them up inside the house.

That's when the people from the city had begun to get nasty, throwing stones at the house or trying to break in.

One time, Sally had barely prevented a fire in the small stable, but her sheep had ran away in terror and she hadn't been able to get them back, out of fear something could happen to her husband while she was gone.

So now, here they were, locking themselves up in their little hut with the scarce supplies they had, six chicken and two pigs that she had been able to keep.

She heard voices outside and there was a banging on the door every once in a while, accompanied by shouting.  
Usually, they wanted to know where Percy was.  
Other times, they just yelled insults and curses.  
Sally had stopped replying to them, instead barricading the doors and windows so they couldn't get inside.

She knew it couldn't go on like this.  
But with her husband so frail and weak, coughing and wheezing and breaking down in cold sweat whenever he walked a few steps too much, there was no way she could leave.  
At this rate, she knew it was only a matter of time until something happened.  
But she didn't know what to do to make them stop.

She had told them she didn't know where Percy was, but that had only fueled the city's belief that she had sold him off.

When she had said that she had no money, else she wouldn't be here, they had cursed and insulted her, shoving her around until she had fled back inside the safety of her hut.  
Nobody had helped them.  
Not even their old friends.

They didn't participate in the insulting and cursing, but they didn't stop it either.  
Sally had never felt more alone, more helpless.

Even back when Percy's real father had just passed away and left her with nothing, penniless and pregnant with a bastard son, she hadn't felt this lost and desperate.

What was going to happen?

Another banging on the door. "Mrs. Blofis?" Luke's voice sounded.

She gritted her teeth.  
Luke was the first to ask her those questions.  
He had threatened her that things would get nasty if she didn't tell him where Percy was.  
Since she had never done well with getting threatened and she didn't like the way Percy had seemed almost scared of him, she had replied coolly that even if she knew, she wouldn't tell him.

That had been a mistake.

Luke had rounded on her, pointing at her with blind, hot fury in his gaze, telling her she'd regret this.  
Then he had stormed from the hut and the very next day, the rumors had spread.

But what was she supposed to say or do?  
She tucked Paul into bed, giving him the last drops of the medicine she had.

"Sally, you have to leave." Paul said gravely, looking up at her with feverish eyes.

She stoked the side of his face gently. "And go where? No, I'm staying here with you."

"But they will..."

"Then so be it. I won't leave you behind. I've lost a man and a son, I will not lose another person I love."

Paul looked at her full of pain and guilt, but she only shook her head. "Everything will be ok."

She wished she could believe her own words.  
Then she got up and went to prepare the water for some tea.

"Mrs. Blofis, where is Percy? All of this could be over, if only you told us where he was. Where have you sold him off to?" Luke's voice sounded from the door, but she ignored it.

A loud thud came from it, as if Luke had kicked at it.  
She sighed and concentrated on the kettle, watching the chicken huddle together in the faraway corner in fear.  
At this rate, they weren't going to lay any eggs.

"I'll give you five minutes to give us an answer. If you don't..." The threat hung in the air, but Sally only put the kettle on the stove and turned it on, turning to get the herbs.

Silence.

Sally was momentarily surprised. It had been so long since it had been quiet.

She only just began to relax, enjoying the peace, when the voice sounded again.

"Have it your way then, Mrs. Blofis. Guys, do it."

Her insides filled with dread and she took the kettle off the stove, putting it down on the table and looking over at the door.  
What were they going to do?  
Break down the door? She had moved Percy's wardrobe in front of it.  
Break down the windows and entering through there? Also unlikely, she had done her best to barricade them as best as she could.  
The back door was also secured.  
They couldn't possibly get inside.

"What are you doing?! Stop!" A new voice yelled and Sally thought she could hear the sound of a horse galloping towards the hut at top speed.

Her heartbeat quickened. She knew that voice.

She heard a noise coming from the bedroom and the next moment, Paul was in the doorway, staring at her with equal realization dawning on his face.

Percy!

*****

"What the hell is going on here?" Percy exclaimed horrified, only allowing Blackjack to slow down when they were right in front of the hut.

Half the city was there, all with torches in their hands.  
One of the older men had actually moved dangerously close to the house with one of them, seemingly wishing to set it on fire.  
They couldn't be serious!

He slid off Blackjack's back, feeling his unease as he sidled about behind him.

"What is the meaning of this?" He asked loudly, staring at the faces he had seen so many times in his life, unable to believe they would do something like this to his parents.

Luke stepped forward, an astonished expression on his face. "Percy..."

"Luke, what the hell is the meaning of this? Why are you all here? Why did you just try to _burn_ _down my parents' house_?" He asked through gritted teeth, glaring at the blonde who moved towards him in a daze.

"Where have you been? We have been looking everywhere for you, asking around in the surrounding towns. Where have they sent you?" Luke inquired, stopping in front of him and looking him up and down.

Percy was still wearing the blue shirt and dark pants he had found in the wardrobe at the castle, not taking the time to get changed into his old clothes in order to get here as fast as possible.  
That seemed to have been a smart decision, given that he had almost witnessed his parents getting burnt alive.

"I wasn't sent anywhere."

There was muttering in the crowd, then the door was pulled open and Sally and Paul came rushing out towards Percy. "Percy!" They both yelled, throwing their arms around him and pulling him close.

Percy hugged them back and held them tight. "Mum. Dad." He muttered, relief washing over him.

They both beamed at him.

Then Paul's expression got clouded again. "But...how did you get here? How did you escape?" He asked awed, but Percy only shook his head.

Before he could reply, Luke spoke up again. "Yeah? Then where have you been? Your father here has sprouted quite some madness about a cursed castle and ghosts and a vampire lord holding you captive."

Percy had to grin at the thought of Nico as a vampire lord. He preferred the name Ghost King.  
It was much more fitting.

"Well, he was right. I was in a cursed castle." He said shrugging and squeezed his father's shoulder. "But I didn't flee. He let me go, dad."

More muttering went through the crowd.

"That...that demon?" Paul muttered, confusion and disbelief all over his face.

"He's not a demon, dad..." Percy started, but Luke cut in, grabbing Percy by the shoulder and dragging him off to the side, away from the others and his parents.

"Luke, what the..."

"Percy, stop this madness. A cursed castle? Demon lords? You've got to be kidding me. Come on, tell me where they've sent you. We can get through this together."

"What are you even talking about?" Percy asked frowning, trying to pull away from Luke's grip, but it was like iron on him.

"Percy, rumors have spread that they have sold you to the slave market or brothels."

"What? But that's stupid! I was just..."

"I know it is. I've tried to stop them, trust me, I have. That's why I've sent people to the surrounding towns, asking for you, but nobody ever saw you. You have to tell me where you have been, Percy. Maybe we can still save your reputation..."

"What? Are you crazy? My parents haven't done anything wrong, and what do I care about reputation?"

"Percy, you don't know what you're talking about. Look at those people, Percy. If they don't kill your parents for attempted slavery, then they will certainly lock them up. Your father Paul because he is utterly mad, raving about demons and devils, and your mother for stealing. You know the penalty for that."

"What...my mother would never steal! And my dad isn't mad! He was telling the truth!"

"Percy, listen to yourself."

"No, you listen to me."

Luke stared at him. Then his grip on his shoulders tightened.

"Percy, your parents will die if you don't stop this. Right. Now."

Percy froze. "But what am I supposed to do then?"

"Percy, listen to me. What exactly has happened?"

"Exactly what Paul has said! I WAS in a cursed castle. And Nico might not be a demon, but I can see why my dad would see him as such. Nico isn't exactly the nicest person to strangers, and the thing with controlling the shadows and the fact that the staff consists of ghosts can get pretty scary, I admit that."

Luke cursed under his breath and pushed him away. "Percy, stop this nonsense!" He growled, but then stopped as a man came forward, with golden, cold eyes, looking Percy up and down like a piece of meat.

A piece of dead, worthless meat.

Luke threw one last exasperated glance at Percy, then walked over to the man, conversing with him in hushed voices.  
Percy hurried back over to his parents, helping his mother keeping his step-dad upright as he began to sag slightly, coughing and wheezing heavily.

"Let's get him back inside." Percy muttered and his mother nodded quietly, fear and worry still in her eyes.

Percy couldn't blame her.  
What the hell was he supposed to do now?  
With things the way they were, he couldn't even get them out of here.  
Not with his father so weak and half of the town here.

He only had Blackjack, after all.  
The horse was next to the hut, looking at the happenings with clear agitation, seemingly just waiting for the right moment to take off.  
That couldn't be a good sign.

They got Paul back into bed and Percy was about to step back outside, his mother staying at Paul's side, when Luke came into the house, straight towards him, his face grave.

"What?"

"Percy, they're going to arrest your parents."

"What!? But why? They haven't done anything wrong!"

"I know, Percy, I know. But there's just nothing I can do...unless..."

Percy didn't like the sound of that. At all.

"Unless what?" He asked suspiciously, fingering the hilt of his sword.

If worst came to worst, he'd have to fight the people of the town.  
He didn't want to, but he would rather raise his sword against the lot instead of letting his parents die.  
He still didn't believe his mother had stolen anything. She was too nice a person to do something like that.  
And why would they lock up his father?  
For telling the truth?

"Percy, marry me."

Percy's insides filled with acid. "WHAT?!" He spat, disbelief all over his face.

"Percy, think about it. If you marry me, we can solve this somehow. We will hide your parents for a while and get them when things have cooled down again. They'll be save and alive."

Percy hated the fact that he even considered it.  
He really did.

But then his mother appeared behind him. "Don't listen to him, Percy. He was the one starting all of this. I know it."

"Be quiet, woman."

"Don't talk to my mother like that."

"Then tell her to hold her tongue. Will you marry me, Percy? Will you keep your parents save? Or do you rather want to see them die?"

Percy clenched his fists, an inner turmoil breaking loose inside him.

Then he thought of Nico and his gentle, caring nature.  
The complete opposite of Luke.  
Luke was the person who looked warm and handsome and kind, but he was a monster on the inside.  
Nico was the person who looked like he'd be cruel and evil, but was kind and soft inside.  
Luke inched closer, his arms wrapping around Percy, seemingly expecting him to say yes.  
To give in.  
To give up.

He remembered the way Nico had danced with him, placing his hands ever so gently on Percy's sides.  
Nico who treated Percy with nothing but respect and gentleness.  
Nico who would never push himself onto Percy and never took anything for granted.  
Nico who made Percy's heart beat faster whenever he thought of him.  
Nico, to whom Percy wanted to return. Right now. Forever.

"I will NEVER marry you!" He spat, shoving Luke away crudely.

Luke stared at him aghast for a moment. Then his face darkened.

"Have it your way, then." He growled and spun around, rushing out of the hut to the others.

Percy was shaking with anger.

"Percy..." His mother started. "Stay here with dad. I'll work this out." He cut in before hurrying after Luke.

"His parents have him under their fiddle. I say chuck the man in the madhouse before he infects others with his nonsense." He heard Luke tell the man with the golden eyes and hissed in anger.

"He's not mad! The castle is real, as are the ghosts and the master!"

"See? Mad. Utterly mad. The whole family."

The man nodded quietly, amusement in his eyes at the apparent thought of destroying a family's life.  
Percy felt sick to the stomach. He stepped back, feeling the mirror in his back pocket.

Of course.

"I can prove it! I can prove the castle exists! If I do, will you lot leave us alone?" He exclaimed, his fingers closing around the handle.

Everything went silent as they all stared at him.

Luke started forward. "Prove it how?"

"First promise you'll leave us alone."

Luke's eyes narrowed and he looked over to the man, who only had a curious eyebrow raised. "Ok, I promise."

Percy pulled out the mirror.  
Several people laughed, others looked confused.  
Percy ignored them, looking down at the elegant mirror in his hands.

His heart was in his throat, thumping loudly with unease and fear at what might happen or not.  
He only hoped the mirror still worked outside the castle.

"A mirror? Percy, are you freaking kidding me-..." Luke started, but Percy ignored him.

"Show me the castle. Show me Nico." He spoke loud and clear, but his voice shook at the end.

He wanted to see Nico again so badly, but this felt so wrong.  
It was like spying on him. And not only that, he would also permit others to see him.

Just like that.

The surface of the mirror rippled and then cleared again, the image making Percy gasp surprised as he looked at it as well as held it up for everyone to see.

The castle was pitch black and surrounded by what seemed to be pure darkness, orbs of smoke flying around here, other people like Jason and Piper rushing past the image there, clearly semi-transparent and seemingly agitated.  
And then there was Nico.  
Nico who looked worse than the day Percy had met him.

Pale as death with his black, messy hair falling into his face and around him, flowing slightly even though there didn't seem to be a breeze, he looked eerily much like a demon or vampire lord.  
Especially because of the hollow and empty expression in his eyes and the darkness forming around him as if he controlled it.

He turned to Luke, who was gaping at the reflection.

"See? It's all true. Now leave us alone."

Muttering had started again, but Percy couldn't catch it, only pieces and bits like 'monster' 'vampire' and 'demons'.

"What if they come after us?" He heard one woman mutter to her friend and alarm bells started ringing in his head.

"No! They are all kind and nice. All of them. They might look different, but..."

"But that...that thing...it is willing the darkness..."

Percy could partly understand their fear.  
Everyone was scared of the dark, after all. It was uncontrollable and dangerous.

But Nico wasn't.

"He's a normal human, like us. He would never hurt anybody."

"Lies! You've said it yourself, he has locked you up, holding you captive!" Luke exclaimed and ripped the mirror out of Percy's hands.

The muttering became louder.

Percy inwardly cursed. "He didn't lock me up. I was his prisoner, yes, but he's never treated me badly! He is kind and nice and considerate!" Percy said loudly, trying to get the mirror back, but Luke held it out of reach, looking Percy up and down with open disgust.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you have feelings for this...freak." He spat, nodding towards his people.

"He is no freak! He's the Ghost King, and he's a thousand times better than you!" Percy yelled at him, wanting to start forward and grab the mirror, but right then, arms grabbed him from behind and dragged him away, shoving him inside the little hut together with his mother, who had apparently come to check on him.

"What the-..." Percy started, rushing towards the door again, but it was slammed shut.

His heart sank to his boots as he banged the door wildly, trying to get outside.

"I say we exorcist this demonic being, before it comes after us! Undoubtedly, it has sent Percy here to locate the city!" Luke's voice sounded and Percy's insides filled with dread.

There was more muttering and suddenly, people cheered.  
Things were getting out of hand way too fast.  
Percy slammed his shoulder into the door desperately, yelling and cursing.  
His mother joined him, beginning to tear down the barricade she had built on the windows.

She didn't speak, didn't question anything.  
Paul came over and helped as well, though he soon started wheezing and coughing again.  
Percy looked over worriedly at him for a splint second before concentrating on the door again, this time trying to use his sword to open it.

He should have run Luke through with this sword the first opportunity he had had.  
Then he might have been sentenced to death, but he'd have worked things out eventually, at least getting his parents to safety. And keeping Nico safe.

Oh god, Nico.

What was he going to do?  
With the mirror, they could find the way to the castle!  
This was all his fault.  
Thinking about it, he should have agreed to marry Luke.  
Let him have his way.  
Percy hammered against the door, hearing the voices getting distant.

"Luke! Luke! Please don't do this! I'll do anything! You hear me? Please, leave him alone! I'll marry you, Luke! I'll do whatever you want!" He yelled desperately, but he could only hear Luke laughing on the other side of the door.

"You'll marry me?"

"I will! Just leave Nico alone! Please! He would never harm anybody!"

There was silence for a long moment.  
Then the people from the city came back, apparently armed up, by the sounds of it, and on horsebacks.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Percy. It seems like you are too late. I have to exorcise a demon, now. We can still get married afterwards, of course." Luke then said sweetly and Percy hammered against the door wildly, feeling his body ache at the ferocity with which he threw himself against it.

"No! NO!" He yelled, tears running down his face.

Not Nico.  
Anything but Nico.

But it was no use.

No matter what he did, he couldn't get out.  
He couldn't stop Luke and the others leaving.  
Dread and pain and misery flooded through his body and he slid down the door crying, his whole body collapsing into itself.  
It was too late.

Luke had been right, his sword fighting skills hadn't done him any good at all.  
He hadn't even managed to pull out his sword.  
Everything had just happened and he had let it happen like a doll, just standing there and letting it happen.

It was all over.

They were going to find the castle and as he knew Luke, he was going to go after Nico until one of them was dead.  
His Nico.  
Percy sobbed and felt his mother wrap her arms around him helplessly, his father still trying to tear the wood down from the windows.

"Nico...they will..."

"Shh, we'll find a way, sweetheart." She tried to soothe him, but he only hammered against the door helplessly again.

Nico.

*****

They managed to tear the wood off a window, just to find that somebody had barricaded it from the outside as well.  
Percy cursed, hopelessness manifesting itself inside him more and more.

He didn't know how much time had passed.

Were they already at the castle? How quickly could they get there?  
Would the others be ok?  
He guessed the staff could hide, but they were all bound to the castle.  
What if they managed to somehow destroy it?  
And what about Nico?  
Would he raise his weapon against people?

Percy didn't know.  
All he knew was that he had to somehow get out of there and to Nico and warn him, help him, save him.

"Percy?" A voice outside asked and his head shot up.

"Leo?" He called and the next moment, an orb of smoke flew through the door and turned into Leo. "What's going on? Why did you leave? Why are you locked up here?" He asked confused, then noticed Paul and Sally behind Percy, staring at him.

He blinked making a little bow. "Good day, mam. I am Leo. Sorry to barge in like this, but it's an emergency. Good to see you again, Paul. Are you alright? You still look a bit sick, didn't Will's herbs help?" He asked, but Percy cut in.

"Leo, you have to go back to Nico right now. There are people on their way to him, they have the mirror. Luke is going to try 'exorcise' him. You have to warn him. I don't know if there's anything he can do, but it is better he knows than if he gets ambushed."

Leo paled visibly. "But...then we have to get you out of here."

"Warning Nico is more important. I'll get out of here eventually, so don't you worry about that."

"But Percy, Nico needs you." Leo retorted, shaking his head wildly and looking at Percy as if he didn't understand something.

"What?"

"It's horrible. The moment you left, the castle was plunged into complete darkness."

"Yeah, I saw it in the mirror, but..."

"He is completely lost in it, Percy. He has practically drowned in it, not listening, not reacting to anything we try or do. He needs you, Percy. If you don't come back and do something, I'm afraid he'll be lost forever...not to mention that he is an easy target in his current state, and we both know he is mortal enough to die."

Percy's heart sank to his boots and he swallowed hard.  
Then he turned towards the door again, slamming into it with renewed force.

Nico.  
He had to get to Nico.

Leo went flying through the hut, seemingly looking for another way out.  
Then he rushed past Percy to the window they had freed to expose the wood on the outside.

After a while, he stopped, looking hesitant, as if making up his mind about something.

"Mam, I'm terribly sorry, but we do not have much time. Would you mind too much if I burnt down your housing?" He suddenly asked and Percy looked around incredulously at Leo, who held up a hand with fire blazing in it.

His mother stared at him, not having said a single word, still seemingly too stunned.

Then she nodded. "Do what you must." She said and put her arms around Paul, taking him over to where Percy stood.

"Ok, here goes." Leo muttered, turning towards the wood outside the window and pressing his burning hand against it.

His image flickered for a moment and Percy wondered whether the fire might not just be another part of Leo's soul and if using it on anything outside the castle would do any damage to him.  
Then the wood caught fire and Leo stepped back, hurrying over to the door and setting it ablaze as well.

"Uh...Leo, how are we supposed to get out before the house collapses or the fire spreads...?" Percy whispered quietly into Leo's ear so his mother and step-dad couldn't hear.

Leo turned his head, grinning at him reassuringly. "Don't worry. I can control this fire." His image flickered again and maybe it was only Percy's imagination, but he could swear Leo was much more see-through than normal.

Percy swallowed, nodding in understanding. "But it won't...harm you, right?"

Leo only smiled and turned to face the door again. "Don't you worry about me." He muttered and Percy's insides churned, noticing that this didn't exactly answer his question.

They watched the front of the house burn, the flames licking on the sides of door and window, but they didn't spread, the smoke seemingly going outwards instead of suffocating them inside.  
The longer they watched, the stronger the flames got, and the more Leo's image flickered, reminding Percy of those moments when you stared at a fire and the flames would take different shapes.  
Leo looked a lot like those flames, flickering and the colors strengthening and dimming in uneven intervals.

But it seemed to be a dying flame.

"Leo, I think that's enough. Please..." Percy started, clearly able to see every detail of the wall through Leo now.

"A bit longer." Leo said quietly, his voice oddly dimmed and faraway.

As if he was fading.

"Leo, stop. I can get us out with my sword now." Percy said, trying to grab Leo's hand, but he grabbed into nothingness.

Leo smiled at him, his usual brown hair and blazing brown eyes oddly dull and looking far more gray-ish and transparent.

"Go save him, ok?" He grinned and flickered once more, the flames on door and window giving one last intense glow of life – then it died.  
And as it did, Leo gave a last feeble flicker. "Tell Jason I'm sorry."

Then he disappeared.

Percy stared in horror at where Leo had been.

This couldn't be.  
No.  
This couldn't...

He looked around to his parents, his father staring with equal shock at the now empty space, his mother with her hands on her mouth, tears running down her face.

"I...he..."

Was Leo...?  
How did that...?  
Why hadn't Percy prevented this?  
Why hadn't he stopped him?  
What if he was...?

Percy's insides burned and ached and screamed and he turned around, tearing his sword from his belt and hacking away at the torched door wildly.

He had to get out of here.  
He had to get back to the castle.  
Maybe if he got there fast enough, they could do something for Leo, still.

He couldn't be gone.  
He couldn't be.  
There had to be a way to save him.

Same as there had to be a way to save Nico.

Nico.

Percy felt the lump in his throat and swallowed hard, succeeding in making a hole in the wood of the door, cutting it wide enough to escape.  
He was about to escape through it, when he turned back to his mother, uncertainty in his gaze.

She nodded encouragingly. "Go. We'll be fine. Save your prince."

"I will. And, mum?"

"Yes?"

"I love you. Both of you. And Nico is a king." He said and hurried outside.

The moment he was down the front steps, Blackjack came bounding forward, ready to take off.  
He swung himself onto the horse, hands in his mane, sword safely at his side.

"Let's go." He said and Blackjack whinnied, galloping towards the forest.

He had to believe there was a way to save Leo and Nico.

Somehow.

*****

Meanwhile, the castle was in utter chaos. "What the hell are we supposed to do now? At this rate, the castle will fall apart." Piper muttered, the walls around then groaning and shifting and moving restlessly.

"I don't know. And everyone is in a panic. I don't understand. Everything had been going so well, why would Percy just leave like that? He didn't even say goodbye. It just seems...weird." Annabeth frowned, looking outside the big window at the dark forest where Percy had disappeared.

"The master said something that his parents were in danger." Jason put in, restlessly pacing the room, looking outside every few seconds and utterly agitated.

Piper frowned at him. "Jason? Are you ok? Where's Leo?"

Annabeth looked around as well, watching Jason's behavior intently, her stormy eyes filling with disbelief. "He didn't go after Percy, right?"

Jason helplessly went through his hair. "I couldn't stop him. I told him what Nico had said and he just suddenly...he took off. Said that we couldn't just give up like that. And gone he was. What if something happened? What if Nico's words hadn't been a permission to leave the grounds at all? What if..."

"Calm down, Jason, everything will be ok." Piper interrupted him softly, working the magic of her voice on him and looking around at Annabeth for support.

But Annabeth wasn't looking at her. Annabeth was looking outside, staring at a distant spot in the woods, where there was light.  
A lot of light.

"People." She breathed and both Piper and Jason hurried closer to the window, staring at the same spot.

Then Frank came storming in. "Bad news! There are people coming. Armed people. On horseback." He announced, his face paler than usual and his eyes wide.

Hazel was right beside him, looking utterly distressed.

"How would they know their way to the castle?" Annabeth asked, frowning and looking at the oncoming lights.

"They have the mirror."

All three of them shot around. "What?!"

Then Jason tumbled backwards against the wall. "But then...what of..."

Annabeth and Piper exchanged a long, worried look.

If those people had the mirror that Nico had given Percy...what had happened to Percy?

"We can't let them get here, not with the master being the way he is. Piper, you go talk to him, maybe he'll listen to you. Jason, come with me, I'm sure Leo will find Percy and everything will work out just fine, don't you worry." Annabeth said and ushered them out of the room in a hurry.

*****

They were almost at the castle now. Jason stared at the closer coming mob of people, still confused.  
Why was this happening?  
Things had been going so great the past three months. Nico had healed up so well, Percy's bright and cheerful nature picking up all the pieces that resembled Nico di Angelo and putting them back together.  
Nico had opened up so well, even joking with the staff, which he hadn't done in over ten years.

And then, one evening tore it all down.

What had happened?  
Why had Percy left in such a hurry?  
Nico had given him the mirror, so that must mean they had checked on Percy's parents and something must have happened to them, something bad.

Jason could understand that.

But why were things like this now?  
Why hadn't Percy said he would return?  
Why was Nico expecting him to never come back?  
Why were there people now – bad people by the looks of it – that had the mirror?

He knew Percy well enough to know he would never let any harm befall the castle.

But then what had happened?  
Jason bit his bottom lip in an attempt to keep himself in check.

Leo had gone after him.  
Why had he let him go?  
What if something happened to his boyfriend?

He should have followed him.  
He should have stopped him and went in his place instead.  
He should have done something.

If anything happened, it would be Jason's fault.  
If Jason hadn't told Leo that Nico had told them all to go, then Leo might not have left.  
He didn't know why, but dread kept surging through his body, making him nervous and fidgety and restless.

He couldn't help feeling as if something terrible had happened.  
But Leo would be fine, right?  
He had to be fine.

Piper came rushing back into the room, looking furious and upset. "No chance. I told him we're under attack and that there are people coming, but he didn't even look around. The darkness is consuming him, it is. At this rate, we're all by ourselves."

"There's nothing they can do to harm us, but we have to protect the castle at all cost. It is our home. Our master needs us right now, and we shall do our best to protect him." Annabeth said and a few other members of the staff nodded in agreement.

Some still looked doubtful, though.

A girl stepped forward. It was Clarisse, one of the few that used to train guard dogs and basic combat to people. "That's right. We'll defend the castle and show these trespassers what we've got. They won't know what hit them. Who's with me?"

For some reason, that seemed to convince the people more than Annabeth had.  
But she didn't seem to mind, only nodding and making plans with Piper and Clarisse.  
Jason looked outside the window to the approaching mob.

They were almost at the doors now.

He could only pray that Leo and Percy would be ok.

*****

"Remember, you can do and take whatever you want, but the demon is mine." Luke announced, his horse prancing around in front of the big front doors of the castle.

It certainly was creepy, shrouded in dark fog and emitting eery, dark sounds, as if it was in pain, the black walls glinting as if there was fresh blood painted all over them.  
He held up the torch higher, hatred and jealousy and lack of comprehension surging through him.  
Percy had been in this horrible place and liked it?  
He had been held captive by some sick freak and enjoyed it?  
It had been so painfully obvious his beautiful Percy had feelings for that freak, demon or not-demon all the same.

But why?  
Luke had it all. He had looks, strength, reputation, money.

What did this freak have?  
A creepy castle and ghosts for staff.  
He didn't even look good.  
A scrawny, ghostly-white oversized kid with overgrown black hair and the eyes of Death.

Very impressive.

Luke didn't know what Percy could have seen in him.  
But who knew, maybe he had simply liked being held captive.  
If so, Luke would have been only too happy to lock him up as well.

He would know exactly what to do with Percy, chained to his bed, preferably naked.  
But this thought also made him wonder exactly what this 'Nico' had done to Percy.  
Percy had said he hadn't locked him up and that Nico had never mistreated him.

Did that mean he had been his little bed companion?

Luke's mood turned sour and he spurred his horse around, waiting for the rest of the people to get ready.  
Then they assaulted the castle with loud war cries.

He would kill that bastard.

And then Percy would be HIS little bed companion.

Whether he wanted or not.

*****

They stormed into the spacious hallway of the castle, utter darkness awaiting them, but their torches lit up the place just fine.

Silence.

"Why, hello there." A voice suddenly said and everybody watched in horror and amazement as a woman appeared out of nowhere.

She was truly stunning.  
Dark skin, willingly messy hair and multi-colored eyes, matched with a perfectly modelled body and a sexy maid's outfit.  
Sadly, Luke wasn't impressed. Percy in that outfit, maybe, but this girl seemed to know she was pretty, and thus was of no interest to Luke.

"Don't you all just want to lower your weapons and go home?" The beauty chirped confidently, moving towards them with stunningly fluid, graceful movements, seducing several men just by walking towards them, tilting her head slightly to give them a little wink.

To his horror, Luke saw several men actually lowering their weapons and turning to go.

"Fools! She is trying to work magic on you! Fight it, I say. Cut her to pieces! Burn her soul!" Luke shouted and the men shook their heads in confusion, the grip on their weapons tightening again.

The beauty scowled. Then a second person appeared right next to her, a pretty blonde with stormy gray eyes. "It was worth a try." She shrugged sympathetically at the pout the beauty gave her, placing a gentle kiss on her nose.

Then she turned to the men. "If you leave now, we shall let you go unharmed. Stay, and we shall take you apart." She announced coldly, wrapping an arm around her apparent girlfriend.

Luke only raised an eyebrow, exchanging glances with his men and nodding at Ethan.

The men laughed heartily. "We're over fifty men, girl. What can two maids like you do against us?" One of them called, raising his weapon.

The blonde was not impressed, merely raising a bemused eyebrow.

"Oh, we can do a lot more than you might think. And we're not the only maids in this castle. Guys? ATTACK!" The beauty yelled and pointed at the men.

The next moment, orbs of smoke came from the walls all over the hallways, manifesting into hundreds of different people, male and female alike, rushing towards them with loud war cries, at the very front a tall brunette with wild eyes that jumped right at the first guy she could find, tearing him to the ground and whacking him with his own shield.  
Luke scowled at the sudden commotion, searching for Ethan again in the crowd before deciding that he'd probably follow later.

Then he made his way past his people as well as their semi-transparent attackers and hurried up the staircase, only to be stopped by a tall and rather handsome young man with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. "What did you do to Percy?" He spat, his gaze on the mirror in Luke's hands.

Oh, somebody who knew his boy?

"What makes you think I did something to him?"

"He would have never given that mirror to the likes of you."

"Really? Are you quite sure about that?"

The man seemed to hesitate. Luke's grin widened, but he was getting annoyed all the same.  
The sound of fighting was all around him, and he wanted to get to that Nico person as fast as possible, before these ghosts pose a problem.

"I'm sure. Now leave." The blonde said and Luke grinned.

"But I have unfinished business with your master. You see, Percy and I...he's my fiancé."

Luke used the momentary expression of utter shock on the man's face to draw an arrow and aiming his crossbow at the blonde, hitting him straight in the chest.  
The boy flinched, his image flickering, the arrow falling to the floor.  
Luke hadn't expected it to have any lasting effect, anyways.

What he had wanted was time, a moment to escape and continue further into the castle – and it had succeeded.

For when the boy's image went back into focus and he looked around, Luke was already gone.

*****

Nico had ultimately settled down back in his West Wing, the only place he could stand right now.  
But only barely, for Percy had been here as well.

Nico himself had taken him here.  
How stupid he had been.  
Why hadn't he kept this place to himself? Then he wouldn't have to remember the love of his life walking through this room, or the way he had looked around at him.

The way he had touched the doorframe of the glass doors to the balcony.  
The way he had looked over the castle grounds and forest from up here.  
The way he had looked back at Nico and grinned broadly, the warm sunlight glowing in those beautiful green eyes.

Nico's chest clenched and the walls emitted an ominous sound, close to a wailing.

Percy was gone.

How had Nico lived all those years without Percy in this castle?  
It all felt so dead and cold without Percy.  
He himself felt dead and cold.  
He heard fighting noises coming from downstairs but ignored them.

Nico didn't care who it was that was attacking them.  
He didn't care about anything anymore.

Percy was gone.

And without him, even one day would be longer than forever.  
Nico gazed at the rose with hollow eyes, the last petal clinging to the stem feebly.

Forever.

He was going to be alone forever.

Because even if somebody barged through that door and pledged their undying love to Nico, it would be pointless.

He loved Percy.  
He loved Percy, and Percy alone.  
And he would always love him.

He closed his eyes, turning his face away and hiding inside the darkness manifesting itself around him further and further, trying to numb the pain somehow.

Then the doors got thrown open and Nico looked around tiredly to see a stranger standing in the doorway, pointing a crossbow straight at him.  
He was tall and muscled, with blonde hair and blue eyes.  
Nico turned his face away again, not caring about the person nor the weapon.

"The Ghost King. Here you are, at last." The stranger said and something in Nico acted up, alarm bells ringing in his head.

The Ghost King.  
That's how Percy had called him.  
He liked how Percy said it.  
Or at least he had liked it.  
It had sounded nice.

Nico closed his eyes, trying to will that scene back to him where they had been in front of the fire once more, with Nico reading the last chapter of the book to him.  
Percy had called him the Ghost King then.  
He had looked at him with that gleam in his eyes and they had talked about something utterly stupid, and suddenly Percy had said 'But I like you better as the Ghost King'.

Nico couldn't even remember what had lead up to that statement.  
The only thing important to him was that Percy had said he liked him.

And the way he had said Ghost King.  
As if it was something special, precious, rather than creepy and weird.

"Look at me, you freak!" The stranger yelled and there was a buzzing sound.

Then Nico felt an excruciating pain in his shoulder blade as an arrow pierced his flesh.  
He groaned out in pain, the darkness thickening around him and he tried to get the arrow out, when something – or rather someone – barreled into him, knocking him onto the floor.

He only looked up in hateful, blue eyes, wondering what he had ever done to this man.  
But he didn't care much, either, instead looking away again.  
He only hoped the curse was lifted when he died.

That way, the staff could be human again and was free to go wherever they wanted to, able to live a happy and fulfilled life.  
Yeah, that sounded nice.

And Nico wouldn't have to live all alone inside himself forever.  
That sounded even better.

The man pulled him up by his collar, punching him in the face with one massive fist, sending Nico flying sideways onto the stone floor.  
He tried to get up half-heartedly, but the person grabbed him and threw him outside onto his balcony, kicking him with his feet.

"You freak! Why don't you fight back?! And something like you names himself king? You are nothing."

Nico didn't object, didn't argue.  
He was thrown against the railing of his balcony, hitting his head harshly on stone.

Out of tired, empty eyes he gazed down at the commotion at the front gate, where several men were running away, closely followed by some of his staff, throwing things like cups and plates after them or whacking them with their own weapons.  
They would be able to hold their ground.  
Good people.

He was about to close his eyes again, when he saw it.  
A black horse racing towards the castle at top speed, a person in blue sitting on its back.

Could that be...?  
No, there was no way.

"Nico! No!" Percy's voice sounded all the way to Nico and he could practically feel the terror and fear in his voice.

Percy.  
It was Percy.  
Percy.  
He was here.  
Percy.  
Here.

"Percy…" He whispered in disbelief.

Then Nico heard a movement behind him and turned to see the stranger pointing his crossbow at him, aiming straight at his heart.  
Nico kicked himself off the floor and out of the way at the last moment, moving towards the stranger at light speed, knocking the bow clean out of his hands.

"What the..." Was all the man could say before Nico pushed his knee into the guy's gut, sending him flying backwards.

Percy was back!

Just as he was about to hurry back inside to get downstairs and to Percy, the stranger scrambled back up and threw himself at Nico.

*****

Percy spurred Blackjack on, leading him straight past the townsfolk that was running away screaming, followed by even louder screaming souls, to the front doors, sprawled open and clearly damaged.

"Percy! You're back!" Piper called while pulling a dress over a guy who stared down at himself and screamed in terror, grabbing the space where the dress required breast to be and yelling 'Oh no, they've made me a female but forgot my breast! How am I going to feed the babies?!' and running off.

Any other day, Percy might have laughed.  
But right now, he was too scared, too worried, too pained to have time to laugh.

"Percy, you're back! Where's Leo? Go to Nico, now! I think a guy escaped. He called himself your fiancé?" Jason called and Percy's heart sank even further, dread spreading at the prospect of Nico getting hurt and of passing Jason the news.

"Leo, he's...he just...he..." He started, biting his lip as tears made his way down his face.

Jason's face fell, shock and disbelief and pain reflecting in his eyes, his shoulders slumping.

"He disappeared...I..." Percy tried to explain, but right then Blackjack reared up and Percy was thrown backwards off him.

He hit the ground and looked up confused. Why had Blackjack done that?!  
Then he realized why.

Ethan stood on the staircase, a simple slingshot in his hands. Percy turned his head to see a stone stuck in the wall behind him, at around the level where Percy's head would have been if he had still been sitting on Blackjack.

The horse had saved his life. Again.

Jason threw himself at Ethan, but was met with a sword in the ribs, flinching and coughing before his form flickered and he disappeared momentarily.  
Percy was reminded of the way Leo had looked at him before he had disappeared forever and he yelled out, grabbing his sword and rushing forward.  
He would not let another friend of his get harmed.

Not today.  
Not ever.

Ethan expected him, blocking his blow with ease and suddenly, they were fighting the same way Percy used to train with Nico.

"Where did you learn this?" He asked Ethan as the boy blocked his blows almost effortlessly and counterattacked with ferocity.

Ethan only smirked and lunged forward, feigning with his sword in order to shove Percy backwards hard, almost making him topple down the stairs.  
Then he slashed with his sword and Percy narrowly missed the blow, though it did cut his upper arm, blood seeping from the wound and tainting his blue sweater.  
But he couldn't care less, instead counterattacking.

"Why are you doing this? I don't have the time to fight you." Percy said, barely pushing down the pleading in his voice.

He had to get to Nico.  
Luke was one hell of a fighter, even without sword.  
And he played dirty. He always played dirty.

"Well, you'll have to fight me if you want to get to your beloved."

"Why are you doing this? What can Luke possibly give you? Ethan, if you stop me now, somebody is going to die. And then what? Either Luke will be dead or he'll survive and treat you like you're nothing as he always did. Do you think anything will change?"

Ethan hesitated for a moment, but then resumed fighting Percy, trying to urge him back down the steps.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" The boy yelled, but Percy shook his head, blocking his blows easily and fighting his way back up the stairs.

"Ethan, I know you love him. I've seen the way you look at him. But he doesn't love you back. He will never love anyone but himself."

"He loves _you_!"

"And you think he won't love me anymore if he kills Nico? Be sensible, Ethan. He will kill him and still go after me. I could say no a thousand times, I could cut it into my forehead, he would still pursue me."

"Then I will simply have to kill you!" Ethan yelled, rushing at Percy again, but Percy sidestepped.

"And you think that'll make him love you?" He asked, pushing Ethan away with his sword and rushing up the steps again, but Ethan followed him mercilessly, stopping him as he was about to round the corner to the next hallway and the staircase upwards to Nico.

"He'll get over you eventually!"

"That's what I've been hoping for the past years. He'd still never forgive you. And even if he did, Ethan, you know as well as I do he won't love you. You know he doesn't love me either. He wants us, Ethan. But he doesn't love us."

"I don't care." Ethan spat and shoved Percy's sword aside with his own, his foot colliding with Percy's stomach and he cringed in pain, coughing and falling backwards, his sword momentarily drooping.

Ethan knocked it aside, clean out of Percy's hand and pointed his sword at Percy's neck as Percy looked up into his grey eye, the other one still hidden behind the eye patch.

"Goodbye, Percy." He said in a cheerily voice.

Everything inside Percy screamed.  
It couldn't end like this.

Nico! Nico needed him! He had to get to him!  
And Leo, what about Leo?  
He couldn't die like this, with them still needing his help.

Jason rushed into Percy's point of view, throwing himself at a momentarily stunned Ethan.

"Go!" The blonde yelled as he toppled onto the floor with Ethan and started rolling around, trying to keep Ethan on the ground.

Percy scrambled up, holding his paining stomach and turned around, bounding down the hall and up the next stairs, grabbing his sword as he ran.  
He heard fighting noises all around and behind him.  
But he didn't stop, didn't turn around.

He kept going up and up the stairs and down the halls, hurrying through the deserted castle towards the West Wing.

Towards Nico.

*****

"You know what I'm going to do when I'm done with you?" The stranger yelled as he threw himself at Nico over and over again, not even giving him any chance to draw his sword as he had to defend himself with his arms and legs alone.

The blonde had the advantage of height, weight and mass. Therefore Nico usually had speed, flexibility and brains.  
Sadly, neither speed nor flexibility were much of an option with paining limbs and his mind was still dazed from the blow to the head.

Still, he did his best to fight back, moving backwards on the roof they had somehow found themselves on.  
It had happened when the blonde had thrown himself at Nico, pushing them back over the banister of the balcony.  
They had been freefalling for a moment, then Nico had crashed into a part of roof that covered the row of second floor windows.

He had avoided two deadly blows to the head narrowly and moved backwards further and further, then had had the choice between getting slaughtered by the man rushing at him or risking a jump to his death.

He had decided for the jump, landing on the roof of the stables, closely followed by the stranger, who had immediately started pursuing him again, a piece of roof in his hand that he kept trying to hit Nico with.

When Nico had still managed to stand his ground, the talking had started.

"I'm going to take Percy to your bed and fuck him silly in it." The man told him and Nico's insides turned.

What?!  
Instinctively, he rushed forward and shoved the blonde backwards harshly, getting some space between them.  
Not much, but enough to finally get out his sword.  
There was no way he'd let this disgusting person at his Percy.  
And not in his bed, either.

"Keep your hands off him!" He spat, raising his sword defiantly.

But the man only laughed, pulling out a dagger from his back pocket, dropping the piece of roof.

"But, dear _Ghost King_ , I am allowed to touch him. He has agreed to take my hand in marriage. Why would I not touch my fiancé?"

Nico's world turned upside down and he stumbled sideways, almost falling off the roof.  
What?!  
Fiancé?!  
This was impossible!

The person laughed loudly, coldly, obviously enjoying the effect his words had had on Nico.

"What? Did you think he might take a liking to you? Just look at yourself. What do you have? You have nothing. You are nothing. And you are even less than nothing compared to me."

Nico's insides filled with resentment and defiance, but a part of him agreed.  
The annoying, self-pitying part that had kept him from feeling happy with himself the past years.  
The part of him that had kept him _alive_ , but had kept him from _living_ all the same.  
The part of him that had had to shut up when Percy had come into his life, chasing his shadows away and dragging him with him into the light.

His Percy would never marry somebody as revolting as this.

He rushed forwards, attacking the stranger with a ferocity that surprised even himself.  
But the man managed to block the blow with the dagger, punching Nico in the face with his free fist.

Damn it!

He toppled sideways, but kept his balance and attacked again.  
And thus, they fought.

"Oh, I'm going to take great care of him. He's going to scream my name as I pound into his-..."

"Don't you DARE defile him like that, you git!" Nico spat, slashing with his sword across the man's chest.

He mainly succeeded to evade it, but his shirt tore nevertheless and blood poured out the light cut he had managed to land.  
The man looked momentarily stunned and distressed, but then his lips split into a snarl.

"Defile him, you say? How honorable. Do you love him, then? Is this too much for you, knowing I will have my way with him by the end of the night?"

"I would rather bring you down with me than let you sully him. You are crude and revolting, and I will not let Percy come to any harm."

"Crude and revolting? Oh please. Who of us is the revolting one? Who of us is nothing but a scrawny, pale freak who needs to keep people imprisoned to make them stay?"

Ouch. That was a sensitive topic.

Nico flinched and the man charged, nearly throwing Nico off the roof as he barely managed to defend himself.  
This couldn't go on forever.

But the stranger would never give up, Nico could tell.  
So he would have to kill him.  
He didn't want to.

Ok, he did, simply because of the way the guy had talked about Percy, but he didn't want to kill him, since he generally didn't kill people.  
But with the choices being him killing this man or the man killing him and having sex with Percy – no matter if consented or not, he much rather took the first option.

And so, he raised his sword once more and charged.

"You think you can beat me? Has he told you nothing about me? Oh, I'm sure he has. I can just picture him sitting in his room all day, thinking 'I wish I could see Luke right now'." The man teased and Nico halted mid-attack for a moment, his mind processing what the blonde had just said – though for a different reason than _Luke_ might have hoped.

So this was Luke.

The man Percy had told him about.  
Things made a lot more sense now.  
Nico understood what he had meant with 'handsome', but his description of Luke's character had clearly been understated.  
Luke slashed at him with his dagger, missing again while Nico feigned a slash with his sword just to bring the hilt down on the side of Luke's head.

With new determination to beat this bastard, Nico took the offensive again.

*****

It was all going considerably well until this one guy - Kronos, was his name, he believed - butted in.

Luke and Nico had been fighting on that rooftop for what felt like forever, Luke continuously teasing and provoking him, but Nico held his ground and fought back.  
As it was, he had been on the winning side (then again, a simple dagger and a strong body simply couldn't compete with a long sword and Nico's quick reflexes).

Until Kronos showed up.

The man was weird, an evil aura around him that Nico guessed other people would expect Nico to have. But compared to that man with his cold, cruel golden eyes, so different from Hazel's warm and loving ones, Nico seemed like an innocent lamb.

Neither knew when he had come to the rooftop, nor how he had gotten there.  
Suddenly, he had been there, right when Nico had Luke pinned to the ground, sword at his throat and wondering whether he should slice him to pieces or throw him off the rooftop.  
But looking down at Luke with his wide, stunned eyes at being beaten, he hadn't had the heart to kill him – he had even considered just letting him go.

And that's when suddenly, there'd been a blade against his own neck.

"Kill him, or I will kill you." A voice behind him had said and Nico had been utterly confused as to who the person was talking to.

It must have been Luke, but Luke didn't have a weapon anymore, his dagger lying on the very edge of the tiles some few feet away from them, about to fall down.  
He hadn't dared look around, staring down at Luke and daring him to strike.

But Luke hadn't looked at him. His face had gone pale, his expression one of confusion, hurt and disbelief. "Kronos...?"

That's when Nico realized that the person had been talking to HIM.  
Kill Luke or die yourself.  
What the hell?

He wanted the blonde dead as well (especially for talking about his Percy like that), but he didn't necessarily mean to kill him - even though that sounded kind of contradictive.  
The funny thing was, as soon as Nico realized this person wanted him to kill Luke, he didn't want to do it anymore.  
Instead, he pulled his sword back and spun around, meeting the blade of his opponent at the last moment before it made contact with his skin.

"I don't take orders. A death threat doesn't change that in the least, either." He said coldly, eyes scanning over the appearance of the man.

He was tall and well-built, with an air of power and malevolence that shook Nico to the core, distracting him for a splint second.  
That splint second was all Kronos needed to bring his sword around once more and Nico could only hit the rooftop at the very last second to avoid losing his head.  
He rolled sideways, out of the way and scrambled back up to meet Kronos' blade once more.

The man was fast.  
Way too fast.

It was as if time slowed down around him, making Nico's reactions seem sluggish and slow in comparison.  
He had to move back further and further, solely concentrating on dodging the oncoming blade without enough time to think of where he was stepping.

"Nico! Watch out!" A voice called and he recognized it as Percy's instantly, his entire body tingling.

He looked around at that beautiful boy, standing on his rooftop so very far away and, of course, Nico got distracted - which was the best mistake of his life.  
Because the moment he saw Percy, he felt a surge of emotions and new found power rush through him, alerting him to Kronos' next attack as well as the ledge right behind him.  
He tried to block the blade but realized too late Kronos had only been feigning an attack to his left side, instead bringing it around to his right.

If Nico had been paying attention, he might have noticed.  
As it was, his sword met thin air and all he could do was bolt forward, away from the ledge, to avoid getting skewered AND thrown off the roof.

He collided with Kronos, seeing the surprise on his face as they both toppled backwards.  
Nico tried to bring his sword around but knew it was in vain, the angle was too off to get to Kronos right.  
Therefore, Kronos' blade connected with his side.

For a moment, it felt as if Nico's soul was going to get ripped out of his body.  
He hissed in pain and tried to move sideways, away from the blade, away from the pain, away from Kronos.  
He hit the ground and groaned, wanting nothing more than to curl up into a ball and die, the pain ringing through his entire body, his insides on fire.

What was this? This was no normal pain. He had been wounded by many a weapon in his life, but never had it hurt like this.

Forcing himself off the ground, he barely avoided another blow by that abnormal blade, trying frantically to get some distance between that man and himself.  
His plan failed miserably as Luke suddenly appeared with his dagger, about to cut him down if Nico hadn't thrown himself sideways at the last moment.

Seriously, now he was only running away.  
His hand pressed against his side, trying to stop the blood seeping out of his wound.  
It wasn't even that deep, but it burnt and hurt and stung all the same as if it was a cut to the bone.

His vision became blurry, but he raised his sword again, looking at both Kronos and Luke advancing on him, both with equally evil smiles on their faces.

"You idiot. He wanted me to kill you. Why would you be on his side?" Nico spat, staring at the blonde in disbelief, but he only narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

"I'm on nobody's side. You're in my way, so I'll simply have to take you out. Percy is mine."

"He doesn't belong to you, you nasty, possessive git." Nico growled, rage and fury giving him enough strength to get back into his fighting stance, even though it sent another wave of pain through his body.

He knew he wouldn't be able to beat both of them.

Luke, maybe.  
Kronos, maybe, if he had been at full strength or managed to still somehow trick him.  
But both of them, he knew there was no chance.

Still, that didn't mean he had to make it easy for them to kill him.  
They both laughed at him, amused by his behavior.

Then they charged at him and all Nico could do was pray for a miracle as he dodged blow after blow, never getting a chance to strike himself.

It didn't look as if he was going to get that miracle, though.  
He felt himself closing in on the ledge and frantically lashed out at Kronos, actually cutting across his chest which seemed to surprise all three of them.  
Then Nico grunted and drove forward, taking the offensive even though it seemed utterly suicidal.

Better certain death dealing damage than certain death doing nothing.  
He lashed out at Kronos over and over again, momentarily ignoring Luke, who seemed dumbstruck for a moment, apparently not expecting Nico to be so stupid.

But Nico didn't care.  
If he was going to die here, he would die fighting and taking them down with him if he could, just so they couldn't harm Percy.

Percy.  
His Percy.  
He should have told him he loved him.  
Not that it would have changed anything.  
But now Percy would never know.

Nico kept attacking Kronos, unwilling to give him a chance to strike again, moving further and further away from the edge to the middle of the roof.  
Then Kronos tripped and Nico just began hoping he might have some luck after all.

But then the man brought his sword around ferociously, knocking Nico's to the side before it could connect with his chest, instead embedding itself in the tiles next to Kronos' body.  
Nico cursed under his breath and tried to pull the sword back, when he heard as well as felt movement behind him.

Luke.  
Luke with his dagger.

Nico felt his heart sink and couldn't even make himself turn his head.  
He felt the dagger closing in to his unprotected back and braced for the pain.

"No!" A yell sounded through the otherwise rather quiet castle grounds and something collided with him, tearing him down.

He hit the ground and groaned as his side sent waves of pain through his entire body, blood pouring out onto the tiles.  
But he was alive.  
He forced his eyes open, only now noticing he had closed them at some point as if accepting death and looked sideways at whatever had collided with him.

His heart missed several beats.

Percy.

Percy had collided with him.  
Percy had thrown himself in front of Nico, arms around him, tearing him to the ground to save him.  
Percy had taken the dagger to the shoulder instead of letting it kill Nico.  
Percy.

Nico stared at him in horror as he saw him grimacing in pain, looking at Nico with so much worry and fear in his gaze.  
Fear. Not of him, but for him.

He wanted to say something, wanted to do something, anything at all to soothe Percy, ease his pain, protect him.  
He couldn't, however, for their little moment was interrupted by Kronos lashing out at them and Nico, barely having time to react, grabbing Percy and pushing them both sideways out of danger, hearing Percy cry out in pain as his wounded shoulder hit the ground.

"Percy...?" Luke's voice sounded somewhere behind them, but Nico couldn't care less about him right now, as long as he wasn't attacking them.

Apparently, neither could Percy, for he didn't even look around at the blonde, instead scrambling to his feet and raising his sword at Kronos, who walked towards them with a sneer.  
Nico reached for his own sword just to realize it was still embedded in the tiles where Kronos had laid several feet away.

Just great.

Then he winced and grasped his bleeding side.

"Step aside, boy. I have no business with you." Kronos said, his voice cold and evil, causing Nico to shiver involuntarily.

But Percy didn't waver, standing in front of Nico resolutely. "I will not let you harm Nico." Percy said with determination, his hold on Riptide firm, his stance perfectly balanced.

Nico could do nothing but stare at him, partly out of surprise at his words, partly out of awe and admiration at the way he stood there, seemingly utterly unfazed by Kronos and the creepy aura he gave off.  
Then again, Nico guessed he himself must have emitted an aura like that at some point as well, so Percy might as well be used to it.

"Percy, no..." Luke stammered and stepped forward and for the first time it occurred to Nico that maybe Luke really did have feelings for Percy.

Percy had made it sound as if Luke cared for nobody but himself.  
Luke's talking and provoking hadn't helped to show otherwise, either.  
But right now, it seemed that Luke really did love Percy, in his own way.  
For a moment, Percy looked around at Luke and Nico caught himself wondering whether Percy had come to the same realization; and if he had, whether it would make any difference.

But then Percy only tightened the grip on his sword. "Stop this, Luke. Stop this madness. Call your henchman off and leave the castle. There is no need nor justification for any of this."

Luke scowled, but to Nico's surprise he didn't raise his dagger again or shake his head, nothing. He only stood there and gazed at Percy as if it slowly dawned on him that Percy indeed didn't want him.  
Then his eyes hushed to Percy's bleeding shoulder and his expression became grave, guilty.

Nico could see the dagger trembling in his hand.  
Maybe they could work it out after all.

Right when he had that small, hopeful thought, Kronos laughed loudly and charged. "You think I'm his henchman? Boy, I'm much more than that. And after I've killed that demon, I'll be even more. I'll be the most powerful man in the world. Now die."

Percy, solely focused on Luke for his plea of peace, hadn't seen it coming and Nico reacted with all the speed his tired, wounded body allowed, pushing off the ground and past Percy towards Kronos, barreling straight into him as he had both arms above his head to bring his blade down on Percy.

They both flew backwards and Kronos cursed under his breath as he hit the ground, momentarily losing hold of his weapon.  
Nico knew this would be the only chance he had, so he scrambled off him towards his own sword, now considerably closer.  
Percy called something behind him and he heard Luke's voice somewhere as well, but couldn't make out any words.  
He sprinted towards his sword, tearing it out of the ground as he felt Kronos chasing him, closing in.  
He swung his sword around at the last moment to meet Kronos' blade.

Why was he so fast?  
HOW was he so fast?

Percy came to his aid, trying to get Kronos off his case so he could at least attempt to take the offensive again.

"I have waited for too long to be denied the pleasure of killing you, you filthy little demon." Kronos growled in a low voice towards Nico - then he turned towards Percy, his sword ready while Percy was in the middle of charging at him.

Nico's eyes widened.

No.

"Percy!" Both Nico and Luke called at the same time, both rushing forward.

But Percy couldn't break off anymore, couldn't get away quickly enough.  
Nico's heart stopped beating and his entire body filled with dread and a tingly, weightless sensation, his mind utterly empty as he forced himself onwards towards Percy.

His Percy.

Time seemed to slow down around them, as if somebody controlled it to make everything even more agonizing and cruel.  
Nico knew he couldn't make it.

But he had to make it.  
He HAD to make it!

So close…only a bit further…he just might…

Nico put his entire willpower behind this one moment.  
Everything depended on him getting there in time.  
If he didn't…Nico didn't want to think about it.

Percy.  
His Percy.

He had to make it.

 

As slow as everything had just been, everything suddenly happened very fast.

Kronos brought his weapon down and Nico rushed forward, seeing Luke closing in from the other side.

Then the metal connected and there was a loud yelp of pain, followed by Luke and Nico simultaneously turning to Kronos, Luke with his dagger, Nico with his sword, while Percy was pushed back by both of them, out of harm's reach.  
They attacked Kronos with a ferocity that nothing Nico had ever experienced could compare to, leaving the man with no choice but to move back.

"You fool! I took you for smarter than to cross blades with me, boy! Think of our deal. Didn't you wish to live with your lover boy? Wasn't that what you've been trying to achieve all this time? I am not the bad guy here. The monster by your side is the bad guy. He took your precious love from you. He is the one between you and your future." Kronos exclaimed with his cold, horrible voice and for a moment, Nico felt Luke's determination falter, his attacks slowing, his thoughts wander.

But then he snarled and slashed across Kronos' face with his dagger as Kronos brought his weapon down on Nico, who could do nothing but retreat.  
Blood spilled from Kronos' face, the man growling and looking around at Luke with murder in his eyes.

It was enough distraction to allow Nico to swat aside Kronos' weapon hastily, which caused the man to spin around cursing, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and throwing him sideways towards the ledge, away from them.  
Nico hit the tiles, splattering blood everywhere and crying out in pain, curling up into a ball as his entire body seemed to be on fire.

Time was running out.

Nico forced his eyes open and his body upwards, his breathing shallow and his vision blurry around the edges.  
Then he watched helplessly as Kronos rounded on Luke.

Swatting the dagger aside easily, he grabbed Luke by the front of his shirt the same way he had done with Nico, just that this time, he pulled his sword back.

"No!" Nico, Percy and somebody else yelled – though it also could have been their echo.

No matter how much he had wanted Luke dead for what he had done and how he had been to Percy, he had fought with him in the moment it had truly mattered.  
He watched horrorstruck as the blade made its way straight to Luke's heart - then something whizzed past Nico and an arrow impaled itself into Kronos' back.

The man howled in pain, then another arrow followed suite and he dropped Luke, spinning around to meet the source of the arrows.  
Nico didn't dare to move, since the arrows zoomed right past his head, hoping the person wasn't going to shoot him as well.

"You!" The man yelled in disbelief.

Whoever that 'You' was, he didn't reply.

Instead, another arrow buried itself in Kronos' chest.  
He howled in pain, rage, disbelief and hatred blazing in his horrible, golden eyes, his face contorted.

Then he swirled around and stabbed at Luke on the ground, who had stared transfixed at the stranger somewhere far behind Nico, his eyes wide with surprise – leaving him utterly defenseless and open to Kronos attack.

Nico pushed himself off the ground, grabbing hold of the hilt of his sword and rushing forward.  
Percy did the exact same thing from the other side.  
They attacked at the same time.  
Kronos never even saw it coming.

Suddenly, they were simply there, in front and behind him, running him through with their swords simultaneously.  
Kronos looked around at Nico with pure hatred in his gaze.

"At least I'll take you down with me, you monster." He cursed sweetly.

Nico faintly wondered what he had ever done to this man.  
He had seemed somewhat familiar but at the same time Nico was fairly sure he'd remember somebody so evil.

He didn't reply, instead turning his sword.  
The man groaned one last time, slowly sinking to the ground.  
Then he went limp.

Nico stared down at him, kicking the cursed weapon out of his hands and off the roof for good measure.

It was over.

Nico looked up at Percy, who stared back at him with a pale face and big, green eyes.  
His Percy.  
He was safe.

Nico smiled, relief washing over him.

Then he looked down at himself, at the blood pouring from the wound in his chest that went straight through him.  
From the wound Kronos had inflicted on him instead of Percy, because Nico had made it.

He had made it.

A relieved smile formed on his lips.  
The pain he had pushed down and ignored up until now came washing over him, making him topple backwards.

Everything was ok.  
Percy was ok.  
That was the only thing that mattered.

"Nico!" Percy called in horror as Nico's legs gave way.

Before he could hit the ground, strong, warm arms wrapped around him gently, holding him.

"Percy..." He muttered, his voice hoarse and weak.

"Oh god, so much blood..." Percy whispered weakly, seemingly examining Nico's wounds, then he yelled names.

Will. Jason. Anyone.  
He was calling for help.  
It didn't matter.  
Nico didn't care about the blood or the pain.

All that mattered was that Percy was ok.  
He was alive.  
Mostly unharmed, next to a scratch across his chest and a wound to the arm that Nico didn't know where it had come from, but they didn't look too deep.

He'd be ok.

Nico smiled up at him. "You came back..." He stated the obvious, but it was what he wanted to do right now.

Wanted to point it out.  
Wanted to feel that happiness washing over him.  
Even if his voice was weak and brittle.

Percy's face came into focus momentarily, mainly because he got so close their noses almost touched.  
A soft hand placed itself on Nico's cheek, caressing it slightly.

"Of course I did. Why do you sound so surprised about it? Just stay with me, ok?"

Nico stroke over Percy's hand gently, looking up into those beautiful green eyes.

"Percy, listen, I…" He started weakly.

He had to tell him.  
Had to let him know.  
But he began feeling so awfully tired.  
Thinking about talking alone seemed way too exhausting already.

"What? Don't worry, Nico. Everything will be fine. You'll see. You'll be just fine…" Percy whispered, his fingers still stroking Nico's skin, his eyes full of emotion.

"Did I ever tell you you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen?" Nico muttered, his vision getting blurry again, the pain numbing all his other senses.

Like common sense. How could he say something like that?  
He pondered the question for a moment, but nothing made sense anymore.

Nico concentrated hard on Percy, trying to keep him in focus and watched him blink surprised. "What?"

He just smiled up at him. He was so endearing. "I'm just…so glad…that I got to see you again…one last time…"

Percy's eyes filled with tears. "Don't talk like that. You'll be fine. You're the Ghost King, right? There's got to be something about that curse to prevent you from dying, right?"

Nico chuckled, which didn't go well with his wounds.  
Gently, he placed his hand on Percy's cheek, stroking it the same way Percy had done with him, feeling the warmth beneath his fingertips – which only made him realize how cold his body was becoming.

It was time.

"It's ok, Percy. It's probably…better like this…maybe, this way…the curse…can still…still break…"

Percy leaned into the touch, his own hand clasping Nico's tightly, tears streaming down his face. "No, please don't say that. Nico, please don't say that. The castle needs you. I need you. Just stay with me, ok? We'll work something out with the curse, ok? I'll help you. Please…" Percy pleaded helplessly.

Nico gazed up at him, trying a last smile as he brushed his tears away gently.

"I'm sorry…my love…" He whispered quietly, barely audible.

Then he closed his eyes and gave in to the darkness.

*****

Percy stared down at Nico, watched him close his eyes.

No. No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!

„Nico, no, come on, stay with me, please!" He pleaded, but Nico's body went limp, his hand on Percy's cheek sliding off and dropping to ground.

Percy's heart stopped.  
Together with his soul.  
And the world.

No.  
This couldn't be.

He heard the blood rushing through his body, blocking out any other sound from the outside, not even hearing his own voice as he began crying and pleading, climbing on top of Nico and cupping his face frantically, his thumbs stroking his cheeks and his tears falling down onto his Ghost King's face.

No.

NO!

Nico couldn't be...he couldn't have...

No!

Percy kept whispering, calling, yelling, crying.  
He wasn't even sure what he was saying.  
He wasn't even sure whether he was saying anything at all, or merely moving his lips.

Nico...

He leaned down over Nico, connecting their foreheads.  
Tears were still streaming down his face.  
This couldn't be.

"I love you." He whispered helplessly, then wrapped his arms around Nico and hid his face at his neck, inhaling his earthy scent and closing his eyes.

This was all his fault.

*****

Jason, Piper and Annabeth rushed into the West Wing and towards the balcony, looking around towards the stables.

"Oh no." Piper exclaimed as she and Annabeth put their hands over their mouths in shock.

Jason's heart stopped.  
There was an apparently dead person they didn't know nor cared about, Ethan holding onto Luke and sobbing quietly…and then there was Percy, kneeling over Nico's lifeless body, holding it tightly, his body shaking with sobs.

Their shoulders sagged.  
This couldn't be.

"I love you." Percy's words sounded over and over again, sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, but it rang all the way over to them anyways, by magic or the sudden stillness of the castle, nobody knew nor cared.

Jason looked around at the rose quietly, sitting in its glass case on the table inside as it always had.

The last petal gently touched the ground, closely followed by the now brown and withered stem.

Jason looked back towards Percy, wailing and crying, clinging onto Nico as if he was never going to let go.

It was over.  
Everything was over.

Nico was gone.  
Same as Leo was gone.

He looked down, feeling Annabeth and Piper putting their hands on his shoulders, leaning against him to comfort as well as to seek comfort.  
He tugged them both closer, a tear running down his face.

Everything was over.

*****

Then, a blinding light made all three of them look around.

*****

The remnants of the rose were glowing, the withered black petals changing to a blinding white before dissipating into what seemed like small beams of light.

"What the..." Piper muttered and the three exchanged confused glances, looking back around to Percy and Nico.

Then the entire castle began to quiver and tremble, causing the three to topple over onto the ground, looking around them in horror.

Light.

Everywhere they looked, little specks of light began appearing, spreading like wildfire, turning the black walls of the castle a pearly white, working its way from the very front gate to the last tile on the rooftops.  
Annabeth and Piper held onto each other, looking around in awe, but Jason instinctively looked over towards Percy.  
Percy was sitting on the roof of the stables, Nico in his arms as if to protect him from whatever was happening around them right now.  
Then the light collected around him as well and Jason watched in amazement as Nico was lifted off the ground by an invisible force, Percy still trying to hold onto his hand, seemingly confused and scared.

The light seemed to manifest, wrapping itself around Nico and his whole being began to glow in an angelic type of way.  
Then Jason felt a change about himself and looked down, horrified at realizing light collecting beneath him as well that moved whenever he himself moved.

Annabeth and Piper still held onto each other tightly, looking slightly freaked out at the light making its way up their legs, completely wrapping them up.  
For a moment, Jason couldn't see anything as the light engulfed him.

Then he felt a weight he hadn't felt in so very long, muscles he hadn't known he still had and took the first breath in what had felt like forever.

He was human again!

Looking down at him, he stared at his not transparent, completely solid hands and around at Annabeth and Piper, who seemed equally surprised and laughed happily, looking at each other and immediately began kissing, stupid smiles on their faces.  
Jason smiled at them, a pang of pain shooting through his chest in a way he hadn't felt for four years.

Leo.

And even though Jason finally had his body back, he had never felt more dead inside.

*****

Percy stared in disbelief as Nico was being covered by light, his tears ebbing away with the shock surging through him.  
The light made Nico look a lot like an angel, reminding Percy of the time they had looked at the tapestries together, the one with Bianca and Nico's mother.  
There had been light in those tapestries as well, symbolizing they could go to heaven.

Was this what that was?

Percy watched in amazement as Nico was getting lowered to the ground again and he rushed forward, gently placing his head back onto his lap and leaning over him, his eyes closed.

He didn't want Nico to go.  
Not yet.  
Not ever.  
Couldn't Nico just become a ghost and stay with Percy forever?

"Ugh...Percy..." A muffled voice sounded and Percy frowned, eyes still closed.

Where had that come from?  
It hadn't sounded like Luke or Ethan.  
It had sounded almost like Nico.

Just without his usual bitterness.

He was just starting to think he had imagined it, when a cool hand grabbed his arm.  
Percy jumped and pulled back instantly, staring down at Nico, who was gazing up at him, blinking confused.

"Nico!" Percy exclaimed, unsure whether to be freaked out, happy, horrified, relieved or simply confused.

He settled for relieved, pulling Nico upwards, spinning him around and wrapping his arms around him tightly.

"You're alive!"

Nico groaned loudly. "Not for long, it seems." He muttered drily and Percy couldn't suppress a small chuckle, reluctantly pulling back.

"I'm sorry, I'm just..."

"I know."

"But how?"

"The curse."

"What?" Percy asked frowning.

"The curse. You broke the curse, Percy." Nico said bemused, adoration in his eyes.

"Me...? But...how...?"

Nico smiled broadly, coming dangerously close.

"Like this..." He breathed and then Percy's brain stopped functioning, because Nico di Angelo pressed his lips onto his and Percy was officially dead and in heaven.

"I love you, Percy."


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Come on now, boy – Blackjack – we'll be right there." Nico muttered and patted Blackjack's neck as the horse made another displeased sound, trotting through the forest towards the city Percy used to live in.

It had been a tough day, what with the entire staff suddenly being human again and requiring food, drink and sleep; messengers needing to be sent to the surrounding cities and the guys that had attacked the castle and run away had to be found again as well, since Nico received several reports of them being spotted at odd parts in the forest, seemingly lost.

Nico would have liked to simply go to his own bed that had been vacant for over forty hours and just be done with the world.  
But his people needed him and there was so much to be done, so his sleep would have to wait.

The only bright side was that Percy had been there by his side the whole entire time.

After Nico's near-death (or complete-death-but-magical-return-to-life?) experience and their little kiss – one of Nico's most daring moves in his entire life, but it had been so worth it – they hadn't manage to get any quality time together, not even to look at each other for longer than a few seconds, but Percy had stayed with him anyways, always close enough for Nico to know he was there, but never as close as Nico would have liked.

As a matter of fact, they had only managed to finally sit down and talk roughly two hours ago, when things had finally calmed down slightly.

If Nico had known all he had had to do to get some peace was to appoint Annabeth as the head to the architecture program for a new building just for staff and to make Jason and Piper the head counselors for…pretty much anything and everything, then Nico would have done that from the very beginning.

It was so much better to have them take care of such things, not because Nico was lazy, but because they were a lot better at handling masses of people.

Nico…not so much.

So then, when they had finally had some time to themselves, they hadn't spent it making sweet love to each other as Nico was begging for all day (not that he ever let it show, mind you), but to talk about what had actually happened between Percy leaving and Percy coming back.

When Percy had told him about how the people from the town had wanted to burn the house down and how he had only barely made it in time to stop them, Nico had been angry and relieved at the same time – angry at the people (it had taken him all of his self-control not to send Clarisse to wreak havoc on the town as retribution) but relieved that he had been selfless enough in that moment to let Percy go.

Especially since he had met Percy's parents earlier and they were the kindest people Nico had ever met.

Paul had been wary of him at first of course – completely understandable, given that Nico had kind of left him in a cold, uncomfortable cell in the dungeon the first time they had met – but he had clearly stated he was willing to give Nico a second chance and that if Percy liked him, he would like him as well.

Sally had instantly warmed up to Nico, which had surprised him even more than Paul's acceptance.

After all, he had taken both husband and son from this woman.

Yet, she had held no grudge, just glad they were both alright (Will had tended to Paul the moment he had stepped foot on the castle grounds and now, several hours later, Paul was already feeling a lot better) and had even hugged Nico before leaving for the room Nico had reserved for them the moment he had known they were coming.

Reserved, because the entire rest of the building was serving as a temporary accommodation for the entire staff.

Nico had made it clear from the very beginning that anybody who wished to leave his service was free to do so – only to find them all staying, seemingly happy with their place in the world.

It had been one of the more pleasant surprises of the day, given that Nico had barely talked to any of them the past years.

When Percy had told him about how he had been locked in with his parents, Nico had vaguely wondered how he had made it out of there.

Percy's sad and guilty demeanor and his explanation of how Leo had shown up and gotten them out of there had given Nico the answer to that.

It had shocked him.

He had of course wondered where the ever so loud Latino had gone, but he hadn't noticed him actually being completely gone – he had expected him to be in some corner of the castle causing havoc with the Stoll brothers (why he had ever let them into his service, Nico still had no idea. All they did was hide his stuff and troll the entire staff, him included. Though they had never gone too far and had stayed well away from the West Wing, so it wasn't as if he had truly minded them).

But to think that he was gone…Nico couldn't wrap his mind around it.  
Of course, now Jason's behavior made much more sense as well.  
No wonder he had been all quiet and serious and rather…hurt.

Before, Nico had wondered if the two had had a fight or whether Jason missed being able to hide inside walls with Leo – now he knew Jason was hurting because his boyfriend had evaporated into thin air.

Nico had tried his best to cheer a crying Percy up, wrapping his arms around him and telling him it wasn't his fault and that they would find a way to get Leo back, wishing he could do the same for Jason, but the blonde had locked himself in Nico's unused study with tons of books on architecture to support Annabeth with her planning and Nico was fairly sure he wouldn't appreciate his consolation right now.

So instead, here he was, riding to Percy's old home – the place Leo had disappeared.

He didn't know whether there was anything he could do, but he guessed it was worth a try.

Since he didn't know the way himself, he had resorted to using Blackjack, wishing he had spent more time with the horse since the stallion still seemed wary of him – it was a miracle he had even let him mount him.

But so far, they had made good distance and Nico could already see the edge of the forest, leading to what seemed to be a meadow.

"Good horse. I promise it'll be quick. I go in there, get Leo, we ride back and you can have all the donuts you want and be a happy horse for the rest of your days, alright?" He said, patting the black neck again.

Blackjack only snorted as if to agree.

Nico smirked, wondering why the hell he was talking to a horse and if this was Percy's influence – it most definitely was – and then began questioning whether that was a good or bad thing.

He really loved Percy.

Percy was the best thing that had happened to him in…pretty much forever.

He really hoped there was something he could do to save Leo.  
So that Jason and Leo could be as happy as Nico was with Percy.

He knew those two loved each other. In a way, he had always known.  
He guessed he could have helped them get together, but somehow, he had never felt up to matchmaking, too busy being miserable to wish happiness to anybody around him, it seemed.  
Nico really hated himself for that.

He hated himself for being so much like his dad, hiding within himself and shutting everybody else out, pitying himself and rather running away than moving on.  
He had been so embarrassed of himself when he had explained to Percy what had happened as soon as he had left the castle – which was to say: He had fallen into despair and misery and self-pity and had wanted to take everything down with him in his pain, self-directed anger and even more pity.

But Percy hadn't blamed him though, hadn't made him feel stupid or made fun of him, instead hugging him from where they had sat in front of the open fireplace, rubbing his face against Nico's shoulder and telling him he would have come back, no matter what would have happened.

Percy would have come back.

Nico had listened to how Percy had told him his original plans of getting his family out of there and maybe returning to the castle with them, or coming back to Nico at a later point so they could start anew, be on equal grounds, become friends and maybe even more if Nico ever happened to be interested.

Oh god, Nico was much more than interested.  
He really regretted not telling Percy he was gay, else things might have turned out differently.  
He wasn't sure whether Percy would have actually made a move on him or acted any different, but it certainly would have made it easier on them both, he mused.

But at least they had found each other now.  
And Percy actually loved him.  
Loved. Him.

He still had a tough time believing it.

Nico crossed the edge of the woods into the meadow and looked around at him curiously, seeing different paths leading into different directions, like the town, the river or into another part of the forest.

Blackjack took him into the direction of the river, though he then trotted straight through the meadow, seemingly used to this shortcut to his former home.

So this was where Percy used to live.  
It was a nice place, he guessed.

It was early evening, just past sunset, the darkening blue sky wherever the eye could still see, but he didn't mind at all.  
He wasn't here for sightseeing. He was here to see if he could somehow get Leo back.

And he might just take a look at Percy's old room – to see if there was anything else the boy needed, of course.

Blackjack snorted loudly and trotted towards a small hut in the middle of the meadow, a few feet away from the river.  
Was this Percy's place, then?

Nico had always known Percy wasn't rich or anything, his clothes and the amazement with which he had eyed everything in the castle had already told him that.  
He didn't mind.

This hut was small and run-down, yes, but it looked rather nice – cute.  
Like Percy.  
It suited him.

Percy wasn't one for splendor or useless possessions.  
Nico also loved that about him.

Then again, he kind of loved everything about Percy.

He sighed and Blackjack stopped in front of the small hut, turning his head slightly to look at Nico with an exasperated expression and a snort.  
Well, he guessed the horse wanted him off him right now.  
Rolling his eyes, he slid off his back and patted his flank, eyeing the house from up close.

There was wood in front of the door and window, big and thick and Nico knew in an instant Percy would have never managed to get out of there in time if it hadn't been for Leo.  
He walked to the gaping hole where the door was and peeked inside at the dark interior.

He did feel bad for just entering the Blofis' house without their permission.  
He hadn't told Percy he was going here.

Mainly because he had no idea whether there was anything he COULD do for Leo.  
And Nico hadn't wanted to give either Jason or Percy false hope.  
So he had waited until Percy had dozed off in his arms before tucking him into bed with a last kiss to the forehead.

It had been a long day for Percy as well, after all and they both had been up ever since the morning before.

If anything, it had probably been even tougher on Percy, what with him rushing to save his parents, trying to break out of the house, rushing back to the castle, fighting, getting to Nico, watching him die and then having him back just to spend the entire day sticking around Nico, probably bored out of his mind and tired as hell.

He really deserved his sleep.

Nico smiled at the thought of his sleeping face, but pushed it out of his mind.  
He had to concentrate now.

Climbing through the gap in the wood, the thing he immediately noticed was a tugging feeling in his stomach, announcing him to… _something_.  
He wasn't sure what that something was, but he was hoping it had to do with Leo.  
Nico made a fire and lightened a few lamps inside, looking around him at the interior.

It looked…cozy.

The room he was in was both living room as well as kitchen, directly connected to the hallway.  
Some more closed doors indicated other rooms, but he decided to stay here for now, taking in all he could.

He could almost see Percy walking around here, sitting down on one of the chairs in front of the fire, his sword on his lap (because he liked to do that and gaze at the glinting bronze fondly, that adorable dork).  
Nico liked the small, compact built of the room much more than his own spacious rooms in the castle.

They made the place look big and empty and lonely, while this hut gave the feeling of family and comfort and closeness.

Nico really liked that.

Probably because he craved closeness and comfort and family.  
He wondered vaguely how different his life may have went if his family had lived in such a small hut instead of the castle.

This way, people could have never evaded each other for too long, bonding much stronger.

He sighed, tearing his eyes away from the place back to the door, inspecting the burn marks.

He wasn't here to daydream.  
He was here to find Leo and take him back.  
There had to be some way to save him.

Nico had been the one being cursed. His staff had been meant to be protected from harm, not projected towards it.  
It wasn't fair that Leo had had to suffer because of Nico.  
So Nico would try his best to get him back.

Somehow.

He tentatively touched the burnt wood and blinked surprised, feeling warmth.

That had to be a sign, right?  
A good sign.  
He touched the unburnt part of the door.  
Cold.

Yes, this definitely had to be a good sign.  
Leo was still there somewhere.  
Now the question was how to get him back.

Nico traced the marks, trying to feel inside him for any sort of feeling, idea or brainwave.  
Nothing came to mind, so he moved over to the window.

His first thought was that Leo had just wasted precious energy (or life?) to weaken this part of the hut when he had already been working on the door, but Nico realized that this had actually weakened the wood on the outside, thus permitting the wood at the door to break.

Else it would have been strong enough to hold Percy's attacks until the very end (yes, Nico could see the cutting marks of 'Riptide' in the wood very clearly and could picture Percy hacking away at it in his frenzy and fear).

He touched the burn marks and felt the tingly warm feeling in his fingertips, signalizing there was _something_ here.  
But how to get to that something? Was that something Leo?  
Or was it merely a part of the Latino?

Nico would never admit to it, but he actually liked Leo.  
Even if he was obnoxious, loud, annoying and certainly not funny.

But Nico had grown fond of him over the years, expressing it exactly how he had expressed all his other emotions towards his staff: not at all.  
Thinking about it, Percy was the first person since Bianca that Nico actually showed his feelings to.

He sighed, tracing the outlines of the burn marks.  
He could almost imagine how the flames had licked at the wood, burning it precisely the way Leo had willed it to.

It wasn't fair.  
Why had it taken Leo's soul to get Percy out of here to save Nico?  
Why couldn't there have been a different way?  
Nico turned away, looking around again.

Stepping back, he tried to get to a spot where he could have perfect view of the burn marks on both the door and the window.  
He figured that this was roughly where Leo would have had to stand in order to control the flames perfectly.

Then he just stood there, staring, at a loss of what to do.

He wished the curse wasn't broken.  
Then he would have still had that power over the shadows and Leo as his subordinate would have had to obey him if he had told him to pull his shit together and come back (or so he liked to think).

But with the curse broken, Leo was technically free to go.  
And he could die.  
What if he was meant to turn human but because his soul had been in shatters, his body had shattered as well and was lost forever along with his soul?  
Nico didn't even want to think about that.

"Leo?" He asked tentatively into the dark, empty room.

Of course, nobody replied.  
But he did feel a small tug, reminding him of the feeling he had had when entering the hut.

"Leo, I'm here to pick you up." He said, trying to concentrate on the tugging feeling, but it began subsiding again.

"That was quite something you pulled off. Yes, using your own life force to get your friends out of trouble sounds like just the thing you'd do. Crazy and suicidal, just as you always are."

He waited a moment, hoping for a kind of reaction to prove he wasn't just talking to himself right now.

"I wanted to thank you. Without you, Percy would have never made it. Do you hear that? He made it. Thanks to you, Leo. And he broke the curse. If you come back with me, you can have your body back, Leo. Wouldn't you like that? I'm fairly sure Jason would love that."

At the mention of Jason's name, the tugging in his gut got stronger for a moment and began warming slightly, so he continued.

"Speaking of Jason, he really misses you. I think he blames himself, though I wouldn't know why. He's very upset, not talking to anybody and shutting himself in my study by himself. He needs you, Leo. Can you hear me?"

Nico waited, the tugging in his stomach still clearly noticeable and warm, like a tiny little flame.

"Leo, I think it's time for you to come home with me. Let's go back to Jason. I don't know how, but I'm sure there is a way. And if you know of it, please tell me, show me. We need you, Leo. Jason needs you. And I need you as well. I don't like admitting it, but I actually like you. Not like Jason does, mind you, I only love Percy, but I like you as a friend. Now that the curse is broken, you don't have to work for me anymore if you so choose. Who knows, we could try to be friends. I know that's not much, but I do know you've been trying to befriend everybody and I was the only one left you needed to convince – you made sure to remind me nearly every time you saw me. So, will you come back? For your friends, Jason, your future with him…? Annabeth is working on a place specifically for the staff, so once that's built there'll be room in the castle again. You could move in with Jason. Or I could help you two set up that shop you wanted to build. Jason told me about it. He would always talk about you whenever he was with me. Can you imagine it? I knew he liked you. Another thing I should probably apologize for. I knew you both had feelings for each other but never helped you get together. I think I was too self-centered and miserable to permit anybody else to be happy. I'm really sorry about that."

The little flame had momentarily flared up inside him and he could have sworn the burn marks had glowed for a moment.

Encouraged, Nico continued, telling Leo of all the times Jason had sat down in his room, showering him with the most useless information about Leo ever, talking for hours at a time about the most stupid stuff, while Nico only listened because there was literally nothing else for him to do, other than drown in misery.

He told him of how Jason had torn at his hair in despair every time Leo had talked about girls and how badly he wanted Leo to like him the way he liked those girls.  
Told him other private stuff about Jason, because, hey, this was to get Leo back and if it didn't work, then Jason was never going to know anyways.

He watched in amazement as the burn marks began moving, merging together and beginning to smolder while Nico kept talking.  
About Jason, about Nico's observations, some more apologies about this or that, even more about Jason and about what Jason had told him he'd do if he ever got to get with Leo.

How he wanted to have that shop with Leo that Leo had always dreamed about, support him as best as he could.  
How he wanted to take Leo out to all those places they had looked at in books, having memorized every single one Leo had ever pointed out he liked.  
How he wanted to take Leo out on dates and have them live together and spend his life with him.

A flame appeared on both door and window, tugging towards each other as if magnetic.

"He really loves you, you know. The same way you love him. Come back, Leo. Let's go home." Nico said gently, watching as the flames suddenly merged together, turning a vivid orange just to then disappear into thin air again.

For a moment, he panicked, wondering if maybe he had done something wrong.

Then there was a blinding flash of light and he watched astounded as flames and light began to work its way from the floor in front of him upwards, forming a body – Leo's body – until he suddenly stood there, see-through at first but gradually become more materialized, a broad grin on his face and a cocky gleam in his eyes.

"Heard you saying something about needing me, sir?" He asked and Nico was just so glad to hear his voice he could have hugged him right then and there.

He didn't.

Instead he only raised an eyebrow. "I think we've reached the stage in our relationship where 'sir' is no longer required."

Leo's eyes widened for a moment, his grin sliding off his face surprised.  
But then he laughed.  
Nico smirked.

Leo was back.

*****

"Before we leave, I need to check on something." Nico muttered and looked towards the doors.

Leo only raised an eyebrow but nodded, stepping through the gap in the door and disappearing from sight.  
Nico peeked inside the first room and instantly knew it was Percy's.

It smelled like him.  
It also looked a lot like Nico had imagined his room to look like.

There wasn't much in here, mind you.  
A bed, a mostly empty desk, a drawer and a wardrobe made up all the furniture and that was about it about the room as well.

He didn't know what made it so obviously Percy's.

Maybe the blue.

There was a blue pillow on the bed and the thin wool blanket was a dark shade of blue as well. There was a blue sweater hanging over the back of the chair at the desk and what looked like a bag of blue candy on the drawer next to some picture frames.

He liked it.

They should put some more blue in their room.  
Yes, their room. Because Nico couldn't resist temptation.

Of course there had been the option of reserving another room just for Percy and having the staff stuff into a room less, but he knew Percy wouldn't have liked that.  
Nor would Nico.

He didn't necessarily want to jump the boy (hell yes, he did, but nobody needed to know that) but he wanted him close.  
Nico walked over to the wardrobe, collecting some pieces of clothing so Percy had some more of his original clothes with him.  
The clothes from the castle fitted him great, but Nico wanted him to be as comfortable as possible and Jason had once mentioned Percy felt odd wearing clothes that weren't really his.

Then he walked over to the bed and pulled out the photo he knew was underneath the pillow.  
It showed a much younger Sally and a man Nico guessed must have been Percy's real dad.  
They looked happy together.  
He could see why Percy liked it so much.

Out of reflex, he turned the picture around only to have his mood turn sour at Luke's words scribbled on the back.

Luke.

He had actually survived, though only barely and Nico still wasn't sure how he felt about the man.  
The stranger that had shot at Kronos had been Ethan, a wiry, dark-haired boy with an eye-patch, who was something like Luke's right hand (probably in more ways than one).  
He had begged them to do something, anything, to somehow save Luke and that he'd do anything in return.

His love for the blonde had been painfully obvious – as had been the fact that Luke had probably never noticed.  
Nico wouldn't be surprised if he still didn't.

Feeling bad for Ethan, he had called for Will to see to Luke, though he did tell him to send him to the next town the moment he wasn't in immediate danger of death.

Ethan had stayed with him all the while, helping Will out and lastly putting Luke into a carriage and leaving the castle with him for one of the neighboring towns with one of Nico's messengers to get them to a doctor who'd take it from there – though Ethan had to promise that Luke would never set foot on the castle grounds ever again, nor go after Percy or him. Ethan had promised and even though Nico had no trust for Luke, he believed in Ethan. The boy had had something about him that said he stood to his word.

Still, thinking of Luke left a bitter taste in Nico's mouth.  
Probably because it was because of Luke that Nico was unsure how to proceed next.

He wanted to marry Percy.  
That was the way things worked after all.  
He loved Percy and he wanted to marry him and have him be his.  
But what if Percy didn't want to marry him?

Luke had tried to get Percy to marry him and Percy had rejected him over and over, telling Nico it was because Luke and him were so different and because Percy wanted to see the world.  
Percy and Nico might be a tad more similar to each other than Luke and him, but Nico couldn't give him the world.  
He couldn't leave the castle and go on adventures with Percy.

He had hoped Percy might be ok with the secrets of the castle, but now that the curse was lifted, he guessed there wasn't anything interesting about it anymore.  
If it was knighthood he wanted, Nico could give him that.  
But he doubted that was what Percy was looking for.

Also, it would make him nearly untouchable for Nico.  
Then again, he was untouchable for Nico right now as well, in a way.  
Nico could completely destroy Percy's reputation with staying close to him right now, what with them not even engaged or anything.

These were strict times, after all.  
And after all Percy had gone through, Nico didn't want to push him through that as well.

But what was he supposed to do?  
Could he just propose to Percy, knowing Percy wanted his freedom?  
What if Percy thought Nico was pushing him the same way Luke had done?  
What if he chased him away like that?

But what if he didn't propose to Percy?  
Could he just destroy his reputation and take from him whatever he could until Percy would leave for his adventures?  
And where would that leave Nico?  
But could he really demand Percy to give up his dreams and stay?

"Nico?" A voice called from the front door and Nico whirled around.

That had sounded a lot like…

Footsteps hurried over to the door and ripped it open, and there he was.

Percy.

Panting heavily and with a mixture of surprise, shock, hurt and elation written all over his face.

"Nico! What the hell where you thinking? Do you have any idea how horrified I was when I woke up and you weren't there? I ran through the entire castle looking for you, lastly alarming Jason who immediately thought of checking the stables, just to find out Blackjack was gone. Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you leave a note at least?"

"I…" Nico started, blinking as Percy hurried over and wrapped him into a tight hug, his face against Nico's neck, his warm breath on his skin.

"And you got him back. You brought Leo back. Oh god, Nico…"

So they had already met Leo. That was good.  
That meant Jason was with Leo right now, hopefully happy (he was fairly sure he was).

"I'm sorry. I didn't know if I could do anything but I figured it was worth a try. I just didn't want to get your hopes up for nothing."

"I understand. But seriously, never leave me alone like that again. For a moment I thought…"

He felt Percy shudder and put his arms around the boy gently, stroking up and down his back.

"Ok, I won't do it again. We were about to return to the castle, actually."

"Yeah, but you seem to have gotten held up by my room." There was a definite hint of amusement in Percy's voice.

Nico decided to ignore the statement, merely looking around the room once more.

"I took out some clothes I thought you might like to wear again. Also, I wanted to bring you your picture."

Percy blinked, pulling back slightly as Nico pulled out the picture and handed it over to him, front up.  
He took it gingerly, proving just how precious it was to him.  
But as he looked down at it, he also turned it over in his hands to fold it and noticed the writing on the back, making a sour face.

"I really like that picture, but I absolutely despise the back of it." He muttered annoyed and eyed the photo.

Nico looked thoughtful for a moment, then reached out a hand. "Can I have it again for a moment?"

Percy frowned but gave it to him instantly, fingertips brushing against Nico's hands.  
His insides became all jittery, making him curse himself.  
Seriously, it was just a light touch, nothing special about it!  
But as he looked up, he noticed a small smile playing on Percy's lips that hadn't been there before and suddenly that light touch did seem rather special.

He turned away before Percy could see how stupidly the corners of his lips twitched upwards, instead walking over to the desk and rummaging through a small box full of different quills and ink.

"What are you doing?" Percy asked curiously, walking up behind Nico and looking over his shoulder as Nico leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, readying his tools.

This was so close.  
Percy was so close.

He decided to ignore the boy, instead concentrating on the task at hand.  
Luke had an annoying writing style in his opinion.  
But at least he didn't have that big of a handwriting, so it didn't cover the entire back of the picture.

Nico gently did some lines here and there, correcting something in that corner and adding a little bit more detail over there.  
He didn't know what Percy would say to this, and truth be told, Nico was embarrassed to show what he was doing right there, especially since it wasn't a skill to brag about as a man, but it would at least get rid of the writing.

Percy got even closer, putting his hands around Nico and into his pockets, connecting their lower bodies.  
Nico wanted to groan out loud.  
He wanted Percy so badly already. Why was Percy teasing him like this now?

Plus, shouldn't it be Nico pushing against Percy?  
Not that he was complaining, really.  
He was ok with either role in that particular matter.

"Is this ok?" He heard Percy ask cautiously.

Not trusting his voice right now, Nico only nodded and pushed back against Percy slightly.  
Percy hissed wantonly, his hands fisting the inside of Nico's pockets.

Oh? Interesting.

Nico tried to focus on the back of the picture, but now it was pretty much futile.  
His concentration had evaporated, replaced by want and lust.  
Percy rubbed against him lightly, seemingly uncertain what he was allowed to do and what not.

"Nico…" He breathed and Nico's heart did a somersault.

Before even really knowing what he was doing, he spun around, grabbed hold of Percy and pushed him against the desk, cupping his face and pressing their lips together.

Percy didn't even have the time to finish his surprise 'Oof'.  
Then he leaned into the kiss, getting onto the desk to wrap his legs around Nico's waist, tugging him closer as Nico pushed against him mercilessly, his tongue prodding against Percy's lips.  
Percy parted his lips, sighing happily and Nico could feel a shiver running down the boy's back, which encouraged him to let his hands travel from his cheeks down his front hungrily.

Percy's arms were tightly wrapped around him to keep himself balanced, his tongue challenging Nico's for dominance.

Nico let him try his luck, pleased to know Percy wanted this as much as he did.

"Nico…" Percy purred against his lips, sending pleasant shivers down Nico's spine as he let go of the boy's mouth just to ravage his neck.

That delicious, soft neck.  
Percy moaned, his hands in Nico's hair as their groins rubbed against each other mercilessly and Nico nibbled on a spot between neck and shoulder.

"I love you." Nico muttered, licking over the spot he had just nibbled on and placing some open kisses on the skin the loose shirt showed.

Oh god, he loved Percy's clothing style.  
And his lean frame.

"I love you too." Percy huffed and Nico looked up to meet those beautiful green eyes that were looking straight at him with a mixture of lust, want and love.

It was the most beautiful expression Nico had ever seen.  
He came back up and pressed his lips onto Percy's again, this time less heated but more sensual.  
Percy smiled into the kiss, leading to Nico nibbling on his lower lip gently.

He loved him so much.

*****

The moment they stepped outside, Jason came rushing forward and pulled Nico into a tight hug.

Percy watched bemused as Nico's eyes widened in shock, glancing helplessly at him as if he didn't know what to do.  
Then again, Percy had never seen Nico have any physical contact to anybody else in the castle other than him, so he wouldn't be surprised if Nico indeed didn't know how to react.

He only grinned broadly and raised an eyebrow, leading to Nico making a face and tentatively putting his arms around Jason ever so slightly, patting his back awkwardly.

"You brought him back…I thought…I really thought…" Jason whispered ever so quietly and Percy looked around to Leo, who was standing next to Blackjack, a soft smile on his face.

It was so good to have him back.

Percy had almost fallen off Arion, the favorite horse of Hazel that he had only taken because it was also the fastest one in the stable, when he had seen Leo standing outside his hut, staring off into space.

At first, he had thought he was hallucinating.  
Then he had heard Jason make a surprised noise next to him on his horse Tempest and he knew he wasn't.

Nico had seriously brought Leo back.  
How, Percy had no idea.  
But it didn't matter either, as long as Leo was back and alive and well.

Though Percy was still slightly peeved Nico had just upped and left like that.  
He could have told him where he was going, at least.  
Or that he was going to leave at all.

Instead, he had left while Percy was asleep, letting him wake up all by himself in Nico's bed.  
He still remembered his panic as he thought he might have passed out after Nico had died and everything after that had just been a dream or something.

Luckily, running through the castle and seeing all the now mortal staff had shown him that wasn't the case, though the fact that Nico had been nowhere to be found had freaked him out all the more.  
If it hadn't been for Jason's quick thinking and the missing Blackjack, Percy might still be roaming the castle in a frenzy.

Then again, he knew Nico hadn't meant it bad and it was difficult to stay mad at him when he had just brought Leo back and kissed the living hell out of Percy.

God, that guy could kiss.  
Percy felt his face heating and a dumb smile sneaking its way onto his lips.  
He really loved Nico.  
Thinking back, he couldn't even understand how he had ever not loved him.  
He was so kind, so caring.

And so clueless.

Percy chuckled as Nico muttered something under his breath to Jason, still patting his back awkwardly and looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Hey, Jason, let's get going. It's getting pretty late and I want to go back to bed with Nico." Percy called over, mainly to help Nico.

Then he blushed as he realized how that sounded and what it might imply.  
Judging by the way both guys turned to him and raised their eyebrows with a suggestive grin told him they thought the same thing.

"Oh?" Jason asked, wriggling his eyebrows, but Nico was already over by Percy's side, wrapping his arms around him and placing a kiss on the tip of his nose before Percy could even blink.

" _That_ sounds awesome." He said quietly and Percy found his gaze stuck to Nico's lips, wishing he'd kiss him the way he had done earlier.

Percy still wasn't entirely sure what they were now.  
Nico had said he loved him and all, but he had never really stated whether they were boyfriends now or maybe even more.

Before the curse had been broken, Percy had kind of pictured them to be friends and then turn out to be more, maybe even get married someday, though that had been optional, since they'd be alone with the staff in a castle.  
The fact that Percy would have aged and died while Nico would have stayed 19 forever had spoken against that as well.

So Percy had kind of hoped they'd end up being something like boyfriends, or lovers at least.  
But now that the curse was broken and there would be tons of other people from the surrounding towns coming over and such, things were a lot more difficult.

Nico was a king.  
Percy was a nothing.  
He didn't want to damage Nico's reputation.  
His own wasn't really important.

Percy was nobody after all, and as a bastard son that just happened to be gay as well, he had close to no reputation in the first place.  
But Nico was important.

There was no way it was acceptable for somebody like Nico to even hang around with somebody like Percy.  
So, with that being said, what options did that leave the two?

Percy loved Nico. He wanted to be with him.  
But how could they be together?  
They couldn't exactly date.

He guessed Nico could make him his lover, something like a mistress.

Of course, that would mean Percy could never get married and people were certain to laugh about him behind their backs.  
It would also mean Nico was still free to marry whoever he liked.  
But at least they could be together.

At the thought of Nico with somebody else, his heart clenched, but Percy knew there was nothing he could do against it.  
Maybe with the curse still there, nobody else might have shown up.  
Or if they had lifted the curse in a different way without all the drama and without having all those other towns suddenly showing interest in them.

It wasn't as if Nico was going to marry him.  
Percy would love that, of course.  
He'd love nothing more than be Nico's, officially Nico's.

It was weird how the thought of marrying Luke and being the perfect little houseman had disgusted Percy, but for Nico he would do anything.  
Mainly because he knew Nico would never ask anything of him he didn't want to do or didn't agree with.  
Then again, they agreed on many things, being a lot more similar than Luke and Percy had ever been.  
Nico would never push himself onto him like Luke had done, either.

But it was pointless thinking of this, since there was no way Nico would marry him.  
Their ranks were simply too different, it would only damage Nico.

He watched as Nico mounted Arion and sighed, wishing they were back in his room with Nico pressing against him, kissing and touching him.  
It had felt so great.  
So right.

It had been the first time Percy had done something like that.  
And it had all come from Percy being bold and rubbing against Nico's backside.  
But seriously, it had simply been too seductive, the way he had bent over like that.

Percy had always thought he'd be a bottom, but in that moment he had caught his mind wandering off into a completely different direction.  
Things could have gone so wrong, though.  
Luckily, Nico had been ok with it, pushing back against him and seemingly unperturbed until he had spun them around to claim Percy's mouth.  
What if he hadn't been ok with it, though?

He watched as Jason helped Leo onto Tempest and grinned at the two, mounting Blackjack as well and spurring him on after Nico.  
Things were so simple for them.

They could date and live together and eventually get married and grow old together, living in the castle or in a house in the city.  
No rank or reputation issues between them.

Percy caught himself wishing he was at least working for Nico, that way he could be around him all the time without doing any harm and they could see each other in secret.  
But he knew there was no way Nico would hire him as a staff member.

Then again, he wouldn't be able to justify it either, since he already had enough staff to fill an entire second building that was currently in planning.  
The only other option to get into Nico's service would be to become a knight.  
Percy had always wanted to become a knight, a hero, travelling around the world and saving people and fighting the evil.

But now, he much rather stayed with Nico.  
Being held captive in an enchanted castle, saving his parents from certain death, watching a friend dissipate into thin air, rushing back to the castle to battle several different people, getting injured badly and watching Nico die had been more than enough adventure for Percy.

Now he was absolutely ready to settle down.

"Are you ok?" Nico asked him quietly, slowing Arion down to ride next to Percy.

Percy hoped he didn't let anything of his inner turmoil show.

"Yeah, I'm great. Just…tired, I suppose." He shrugged and smiled tentatively, hoping that didn't sound too much like 'I hope we'll go straight to bed when we get to the castle'.

God, Percy so wanted that.  
Though he didn't exactly want to sleep.  
But since he wasn't sure how fast or slow Nico wanted to go, he didn't voice out any of that.

Nico had stopped earlier, after all, returning to soft kisses and affectionate glances before suddenly holding up the picture of Percy's parents.  
Percy had blinked in confusion but gone with the sudden change, eyeing the back apprehensively, only to chuckle bemused.

Nico had added so many lines and curves to Luke's handwriting that it looked more like some sort of intricate design, reminding Percy of the texture sometimes found on lace and actually not looking half-bad.

Plus, the words were completely lost in it, meaning Percy could simply pretend they had never been there.  
Nico had looked away rather flustered, though if that was because he knew how to draw lace-like textures or because of their making out, Percy couldn't tell.  
So he had only hugged him and kissed his cheek and thanked him before pocketing his photo and grabbing some more possessions in his room.

"Yeah, I bet. It was a very long day, after all." Nico agreed, then stifled a yawn.

Percy chuckled. True, Nico must be even more tired than Percy, since Percy had actually napped for a couple of hours at least.

"Hey, guys, look what I can do!" Leo exclaimed next to them suddenly and both of them looked around, watching Leo grin broadly and holding up a flaming hand.

"What the…" Percy exclaimed horrified and almost fell sideway off Blackjack, who whinnied and turned his head in indignation at Percy clasping his mane tightly to remain on his back.

Leo laughed. "Isn't this amazing? I can still do it! And it doesn't affect me at all."

Percy looked around at Nico, who only had an eyebrow raised.

"That's interesting. Hey, Jason, can you still do that thing of yours?" He then asked curiously and Percy frowned, looking towards Jason.

He had never noticed Jason could do anything unusual in his soul-form.  
The blonde seemed to know what Nico was talking about, though, scrounging up his face in concentration.

The next moment, a strong breeze whipped through the trees and in their faces.

"This is so weird." Jason remarked, lips twitching while Leo cheered and wrapped his arms tightly around Jason from behind.

"You can control the wind?" Percy asked amazed.

"Yeah, he can. Always helped with the cleaning." Leo said grinning and poked Jason in the side, who only looked around at him with a small smile. "Or killing your fires."

Leo put on a pouty face and Nico and Percy shared a glance.

"But that's really weird, isn't it? I mean, I already didn't understand it when they were just souls, but maybe it's because they've been under that magic for so long?" Percy guessed, but Nico only shrugged. "No idea."

"Can you still control the shadows, then?"

For a moment, Nico looked hesitant. "You…do you want me to try?" He then asked cautiously, making Percy wonder if he had said something wrong.

"I don't really mind either way. I was just wondering." He then muttered, shrugging uncertainly.

Nico looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "You wouldn't mind if I still could? I mean, it is kind of creepy, I guess."

Percy frowned. "I think it was pretty cool."

"You ran away." Nico stated unimpressed.

Percy felt his face flushing. "You surprised me! Plus, back then I thought you were going to slaughter me, so of course I ran away. After I got to know you better and realized you weren't like that at all, I wasn't scared of your shadows anymore, either."

Nico raised an eyebrow, seemingly not believing a word Percy was saying.

"I'm dead serious. Have you never wondered why your staff actually stayed? It isn't because they fear you. Even though you looked like a ghost and acted like a tyrant, you actually never harmed anybody, keeping to yourself and letting the staff do as they pleased. You didn't even lock me up or only gave me bad food. No matter how hard you might have tried to come across as evil and brooding, you really were just lonely and hurt and I'm fairly certain the staff knew that as well. The shadows are simply a part of you, Nico. No matter if you can control them or not. But that's not because you're evil or bad, but because of all the things that have happened to you that you still need to learn how to deal with."

Percy knew he was babbling, but he just wanted to get his point across, make Nico understand.  
But Nico only stared at him.

Stared. Confused and seemingly stunned.

Percy sighed. "It's like...if anything, I'd say you're sad. Not bad. Sad. And…I…well…I want to help you with that, don't I? I want to…you know…make you happy…so…I really don't mind the shadows or anything…I like you the way you are. I love you…" He muttered sheepishly, looking down at his hands in Blackjack's mane as to not meet Nico's eyes.

There was silence for a long moment, in which Percy wondered faintly if he had said too much and how Nico would react.  
Then he suddenly heard a weird sound and looked around, only to suddenly feel Nico behind him on Blackjack, who only turned his ears backwards and snorted annoyed, as if to say 'I hope I'm getting extra donuts for this, boss'.

Arms wrapped around him from behind and a face pressed against the side of his neck.

"I'm glad." Nico's voice was nothing but a quiet, gentle whisper, full of barely concealed emotion.

Percy felt himself relaxing, smiling softly and rubbing his cheek against Nico's hair.

"It's the truth."

"Thank you." Nico muttered, his grip on Percy tightening.

Percy could see Jason and Leo out of the corner of his eyes, throwing each other knowing smiles and looking the opposite direction as if to pretend they didn't notice.

"What for?" He asked, turning his head slightly to try catch a glimpse of Nico's face, but his hair was in the way.

"For being you. For loving me. For everything." Nico replied, placing a soft kiss on Percy's neck, making him shiver slightly at the sensation.

"I know I'm not much to look at and it will take me a while to be less like a freak and all, but I want you to know I'll always be there for you. I'll be whatever you want me to be and do whatever you want me to do if it's in my power. I'll try my best to make you happy and…and I'll…I'll try be the person you deserve…" At the last part, Percy felt Nico's grip on him tightening momentarily again, making Percy wonder what he was thinking about.

His insides were in utter turmoil.  
This was the sweetest thing he had ever heard in his life.  
Then again, Nico was the sweetest man he had ever met in his life, so it shouldn't be that surprising.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You're already much more than I deserve. And you are not a freak. Just be yourself." He tried, but Nico shook his head.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want that."

"Whyever not?"

"Because…" Nico's voice trailed off, his face nuzzling against Percy's neck again.

Percy turned his head sideways. "Yes?"

"I…I don't want to push you like Luke did. You deserve better than that. But I really want to…I…well…you deserve your freedom and I would never want to force you to stay, but I…I just…"

"What are you talking about?" Percy asked, frowning.

Nico could never push himself onto Percy the way Luke had done.  
First of all, Nico wasn't that type of guy, and second, Percy would probably even welcome it, letting him ravage him all he wanted.

Ah, maybe he shouldn't think of that right now, what with Nico so close behind him and pouring his heart out.

"I just…I know I'll have to let you go. But there's this part inside me that just wants to be selfish. That wants to keep you. The part that wanted me to continue earlier, regardless of whether it was right or could damage your reputation or whether Jason and Leo were just outside, waiting for us. I just wanted you so badly – I still want you so badly – that I was going to ignore everything else. You deserve better than that." Nico blurted, his entire body tense.

Percy stared at Blackjack's mane without seeing a thing, his heart hammering in his chest.

"I'm sorry, that was probably a bit much." Nico muttered after a while, pulling back slightly and letting go of Percy, his forehead resting against Percy's shoulder blade.

"No! No, I mean…I was just surprised, that's…god, Nico, please don't push that part down. Be selfish all you want because that's exactly what I want."

"Eh?" Nico asked confused and lifted his head and for the first time their eyes met.

Percy leaned back slightly, turning his head further and giving Nico a peck on the lips.

"I want you. Exactly the way you are. And you could never be like Luke, so don't you ever worry about that."

Nico's eyes widened slightly and he stared at Percy in that stunned way again.  
Then a smile split on his lips and he hid his face from view again, dropping his forehead against Percy's shoulder again.  
Percy chuckled and looked straight ahead again, seeing the outline of the castle.

Nico's arms wrapped around him again, his body inching closer slightly.  
For a long moment, there was silence, where they just indulged in the closeness and each other's presence.

Then Percy frowned. "Wait, what do you mean, you have to let me go? Where am I going?" He asked confused, feeling Nico tense up again promptly.

He mumbled something unintelligibly.

"What?" Percy turned his head towards Nico again, but he just pushed his face against Percy's neck again, hiding from view.

Therefore, his lips were much closer to his ear now and Percy could hear him a lot clearer.

"You know…adventures…seeing the world…I can't come with you for that…I'd love to, but…I can't…"

Percy felt a surge of relief wash over him.  
THAT's what Nico was worried about?

Percy couldn't help himself.  
He laughed.

"Oh god, Nico, I'm not going anywhere. I already decided I've had enough adventures in my life, and there's still the mystery of Nico di Angelo that will certainly take a lifetime to solve. I mean, I understand you can't marry me or anything, but I'll be there for however long you can stand me." He explained, winking at a stunned Nico.

Then he felt Nico's hand on his neck, tugging him backwards and Nico's lips met his in a heated kiss.  
Percy's brain stopped working, his heart missing a few beats before thumping hundred times faster than before as if to make up for it.

He pulled his leg over to sit sideways on Blackjack, which earned him an exasperated snort of the horse and he felt him slowing down a bit as if to prevent Percy from falling off, which he really appreciated.

Without breaking the kiss, he swung his other leg back over Blackjack, now facing Nico, cupping his face and deepening their kiss.  
Nico chuckled quietly, hands on Percy's sides, though he now moved them downwards to Percy's legs, pulling them over his own to get closer.  
It wasn't the most comfortable position to be in, especially not on a moving horse, but the kiss more than made up for that.

Lips mashing hungrily together, Nico soon turned it into a French kiss, his tongue challenging Percy's, who was determined to win at least this once.

Just when he thought he might just make it, Nico pulled back slightly, which made him groan in need and frustration, pursuing him.

"What do you mean I can't marry you?" Nico inquired breathlessly, while Percy placed some more pecks on his lips, urging him back into their kiss.

He didn't want to talk right now.  
Or think.

"Hmm?" He hummed as he felt Nico chuckle slightly and kiss back before pulling back again.

"Why do you say I can't marry you?" Nico managed to repeat before Percy nibbled on his bottom lip wantonly.

"I don't know…oh yeah, because you're king and all, aren't you?" Percy mumbled distractedly, his hands at the back of Nico's neck to keep him close, preventing him from pulling back again whatsoever.

"Yeah? So?" Nico inquired, seemingly bemused by Percy's tries to claim his mouth again – which was really frustrating because Percy wanted him _so bad_ right now.

"Well, you know. Reputation and all. You can't marry someone like me." He exclaimed annoyed, frowning at Nico who frowned right back. "That's all?"

Percy's eyes were already glued back to Nico's lips as he licked his own.  
He didn't want to talk about this.  
He didn't want to be reminded of the fact that he could never officially be Nico's and Nico would never officially be his.

All he wanted was to kiss Nico right now and get his hands on him and have Nico kiss and touch him and he didn't give a damn if they ended up having his first time on the back of a horse as long as it was with Nico and right now.

Percy shrugged. "I'm a nothing. A nobody. Kings don't marry nobodies." He muttered, hating the pang of pain rushing through him at his own words.

"Watch me." Nico uttered, finally pressing his lips back onto Percy's, though now it was his turn to pull back. "Wait, what?"

"Marry me." Nico demanded, licking over Percy's lips, pleading for entrance.

Percy's heart missed a beat. Or two. Or three.  
Everything around him seemed to stop for a moment.

Nico wanted…to marry him?  
Marry…him?  
For real?

"R-Really?" He heard his own, embarrassingly high-pitched voice ask.

Nico chuckled, his voice low and raw. "Yes. I'll propose properly to you later. Right now I fear I can't summon any romance with all this lust in the way."

Percy grinned and pushed their lips together again.

"I'm more than fine with that."

"Is that a 'Yes' then?"

"It's a 'Oh my god, yes!', Nico."

"I love the way you say my name."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Guys, I don't want to interrupt you, I really don't, but we're here." Jason's voice sounded somewhere next to them and Percy and Nico broke apart, looking around surprised.

Oops.

They were back at the castle, luckily not at the front door, but in the stables.  
Jason was rubbing off Tempest, only glancing around at them for a moment before looking away quickly again, clearly uncomfortable about disturbing their private moment.  
Leo on the other hand just stood next to him grinning at Percy and Nico broadly, wriggling his eyebrows.  
Hazel stood next to him, her face hidden in her hands, clearly flustered beyond belief.

Oops.

"Sorry guys…I kind of forgot that…you were there…" Percy muttered awkwardly, feeling Nico pulling his legs out from beneath his and sliding off the horse.

"Sorry. We'll take it to my room. Hazel, would you be so kind as to give Blackjack some more donuts? He certainly deserves them." Nico announced, his voice utterly composed as if this didn't bother him in the slightest, but the scarlet ears and pink cheeks gave him away.

Percy however was still hung up on the 'We'll take it to my room' part, his entire body tingling with anticipation.

He slid off Blackjack quickly, patting his neck for a moment and muttering something like 'You're the best, Blackjack' and 'Good Night, guys', before Nico grabbed his hand and they were off towards the castle.

They could hear Leo chuckle and say something to the others, but neither cared.

As soon as they were inside and didn't see anybody close by, Nico turned towards Percy, taking his chin and pressing their lips together again.  
Percy kissed back and wrapped his arms around his neck, tugging him closer.

"We need to…" Percy breathed. They had to get out of the hallway.

"Yeah…" Nico agreed, parting from him and they hurried up the staircase, stopping every few feet to kiss and touch again, unwilling to part for too long.

*****

When they finally reached Nico's room, they were both panting heavily and Nico could barely make himself close the door first before pushing Percy over to his bed, pulling the boy's sweater off as he went.  
They had already lost their coats somewhere in the hallway.

Good thing the castle only had three floors. Nico was fairly certain there'd have been a lot more clothes on the stairs and in the hallways if he had lived in any higher floor.

Percy tugged on Nico's shirt and Nico tore it off hurriedly, his hands already craving the feeling of Percy's hot skin.  
Percy chuckled and they pressed together again, skin on skin, their lips mashing together and their hands exploring each other's bodies hungrily.

"I love you." Nico whispered and pushed Percy onto the bed, climbing on top of him an instant later.

Percy's eyes gleamed with adoration and love and lust and want and his arms wrapped around Nico, pulling him down to connect their bodies.

"I love you too, my Ghost King." He breathed, his hands travelling over Nico's back, his hips pushing upwards against Nico's groin.

Yes.  
This was exactly what he wanted.

He grinded against Percy, lips connecting feverishly in an open kiss before Nico moved towards Percy's neck again, the same way he had done when they had been in Percy's room.  
But this time he wouldn't hold back.

Percy was going to be his.  
Percy was going to marry him.  
He'd be officially his for the rest of their lives.

Yes.

Nico nibbled and sucked on Percy's neck, leaving a dark red mark on one spot, marking Percy as his own for everyone to see.  
Percy let out the sweetest moan, looking up at Nico with dazed eyes, his hands still in his hair.

Then those wonderfully warm hands travelled over Nico's bare back, making him shiver slightly, while he bent back down over Percy, placing kisses on his chest and collarbones, experimenting with what Percy liked and what not.  
He had never done anything like this.

Not that he hadn't been interested, but there hadn't been many people during his teenage years whom he could have experimented with, especially since most of them had been his staff and friends.  
And nobody had openly been gay either.

Nico himself hadn't dared admitting to it until the curse had been there, throwing him into even more despair since the chance of a _girl_ coming to the castle had already been slim, but for a _gay guy_ to come to the castle…the chances had been right out zero.

He licked over Percy's left nipple, causing the boy to shudder beneath him, so he repeated the motion before sucking on it tentatively.  
Percy's moan told him he was doing at least something right.

Gently nibbling on it, he found Percy writhing beneath him, his fingers clawing into Nico's back. "Nico…" He huffed, looking at Nico through half-closed green eyes, his lips parted, breathing heavily.

Nico smirked to himself and used his hand on Percy's other nipple, pinching and playing with it to lure some more of those sweet sounds out of Percy.

"I love you." He kept repeating as he went lower on Percy's body, trailing kisses down his stomach over his muscles, not surprised that Percy was so well trained.

His hands began fumbling with Percy's pants, tugging them down impatiently to finally get a feel of his dick.  
He had wanted to do this for so damn long, it felt almost surreal that it was really, actually happening right now.

Percy gasped and thrust into his hand the moment Nico wrapped it around his throbbing erection, causing him to chuckle quietly before gazing at his lover intently, watching his every reaction as his hands began stroking and pumping him.

*****

Percy was going insane. This felt so amazing.  
He knew he had to stop Nico soon, else he'd embarrass himself.

It was so unfair. The way Nico touched him simply screamed he knew what he was doing, while Percy could do nothing but getting washed away with the waves of pleasure and bliss rolling over him.

He wished he could at least make Nico come closer again so he could touch him, but he couldn't make himself move, too caught up in the sensations Nico's hands on his dick sent through him.  
Oh god, he never wanted this to stop.

He felt pre-cum trickle out of his dick and forced himself up, urging Nico's hand off his dick as he cupped his face and kissed him again.

"Sorry, but if you go on, I'm going to blow." He muttered awkwardly, feeling the heat rise in his face again.

Nico blinked at him, then smiled gently and gave him a peck on the lips. "I wouldn't mind whatsoever, Percy. I only want you to enjoy yourself. We don't have to go all the way tonight."

Percy shivered in anticipation, thinking of all the nights to come after 'tonight'.  
Oh, he so wanted to have sex with Nico.

"No, I want to. We just have to slow down a bit." He said determinedly.

He wasn't going to let his inexperience spoil his first time with Nico.

Instead, he began pushing Nico backwards towards the head of the bed and onto the pillows, kissing him gently and letting his hands roam over his body.  
Nico let him, an amused smirk dancing on his lips but his dark eyes glowed with lust and he seemed utterly content with the situation.

Percy kissed him sensually, letting his tongue slide past Nico's parted lips and challenge his tongue to a slow, rather gentle battle, unlike the heated, passionate ones they had shared before.  
Nico sighed rather contently and put his hand to the back of Percy's head, tugging him closer but left Percy in complete control otherwise.  
Percy's hands travelled over Nico's body, tracing his muscles and pinching his nipples tentatively, causing Nico to shudder slightly.

Percy decided he'd definitely have to try out what Nico had done to him earlier at some point.

But now, he rather felt like kissing Nico some more, letting their tongues touch gently and lovingly, just to then nibble on his bottom lip and kiss his nose, kiss his cheeks, kiss his eyelids and his forehead.  
Nico chuckled and let him do it all, watching him out of warm, dark eyes.

"I love you." He muttered and Percy felt another pleasant shiver run down his back at those beautiful words.

He kissed Nico again, just a peck this time, smiling softly. "I love you too."

Then he went to kiss and nibble on Nico's neck the way he had done with Percy before.  
It felt funny, especially with Nico's hair tickling his face, but he loved the way Nico huffed and moved beneath him at the unusual sensation.  
As he licked down his neck to his collarbone, he felt Nico's hands on his back moving downwards to his butt, groping tentatively.  
Percy chuckled, nibbling on the collarbone before looking up at Nico with a raised eyebrow.

But Nico only narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, watching Percy's face and continuing his now massage-like movements.  
Percy gave him a peck on the lips, trying to act indifferent while wondering how such a simple touch could feel so damn good.

Then he felt Nico's right hand becoming more adventurous, moving towards Percy's entrance.  
He drew a sharp breath at the unfamiliar feeling the touch brought and Nico halted for a moment.

"Is this ok?" He asked quietly, but Percy only nodded wildly, kissing Nico again to not let things get awkward now.

Nico returned the kiss gently, his finger probing against Percy's hole cautiously, rubbing against it and sending shivers down Percy's back.

Damn, that felt good.

He intensified their kiss and let his hands travel down Nico's front to his pants, tugging them down to free his dick from its confinement.  
He wished he could look, but he also didn't want to stop the kiss, so he contented himself with wrapping his hands around Nico's shaft.  
The boy groaned against his lips and thrust into his hand helplessly for a moment, before collecting himself again and nibbling on Percy's bottom lip, pulling him back into a deep kiss.

Percy smirked to himself and continued stroking along the length of him.  
He felt big, though it was hard to tell without looking.

He only hoped Nico would go gentle on him, though he didn't doubt him for a second.  
Nico was the gentlest person he knew, of course he was going to be careful.

Nico's hand disappeared from Percy's butt and Percy pulled back from their kiss, looking at him confuse and worried.  
Had he done something wrong?

But Nico only kissed his nose gently, smirking at him and then moved sideways, reaching towards the drawer of the bedside table.  
Percy reluctantly let him go, wondering what he was doing.

A moment later, Nico came back with a small bottle of what looked like oil.

Oh. Yeah. Lubrication.

Hoping for gentle, careful sex and forgetting about lubrication was so much like Percy he wasn't even surprised, instead watching curiously as Nico opened the bottle and lathered his finger with the liquid.

Percy swallowed and looked at Nico with big eyes, who watched him intently, seemingly waiting for a sign whether this was ok or not.  
Percy nodded slightly, moving back closer to Nico and pressing their lips together, feeling Nico's hands moving back down to his butt.

Unwillingly, Percy tensed up.

"Relax." Nico whispered in his ear as he prodded against Percy's entrance, causing Percy to shiver slightly and try his best to ease up.

Then he felt Nico's other hand on his dick and gasped, instantly feeling Nico's finger sliding inside him slowly.

"Oh god…" Percy groaned, his head falling onto Nico's shoulder, lost in the unusual feeling.

He had done this himself a couple times, of course, but never with oil and he was fairly certain he could have never made it feel like this.  
Nico kissed the side of his face and continued, pushing his long, thin finger into him further and wriggling it about curiously, as if trying to get a good feel of him – he probably was.

Percy groaned and found himself pushing back against Nico's hand slightly.  
Nico didn't tease him about it, instead drawing a sharp breath and continuing, withdrawing his finger just to then add another one, stretching Percy as he went.  
Percy huffed against his shoulder, turning his head to nibble on Nico's neck so he at least got something out of this as well.  
He felt Nico swallow hard and continue, thrusting two fingers inside of him and seemingly still looking for something.

That's when he hit a spot that made Percy gasp loudly, his hands suddenly grabbing Nico's shoulders, his body tense.

"There it is." He heard Nico mutter quietly and he hit the spot again, making Percy groan and move back against his hand with much more force now.

"Oh god, do that again…" He pleaded, uncaring what Nico was going to think of him.

But Nico only complied too willingly, thrusting his fingers into Percy and hitting the spot repeatedly, driving Percy crazy.  
It felt so freaking amazing.

He thrust back against his fingers, moaning and groaning and biting down on Nico's shoulder.  
Nico's free hand moved up to Percy's chin, tugging him upwards so their lips could connect once more, starting a wild and chaotic tongue play that kept getting interrupted with Percy's even more chaotic moans.

He didn't even notice Nico adding another finger, but at some point he simply noticed it was there, only enhancing that amazing sensation.

Percy knew he wouldn't last long at this rate, suddenly aware that he had started getting on top of Nico to _prevent_ himself from blowing before Nico had had his way with him.

He guiltily let his hand travel back down to Nico's dick, finding it rock hard and throbbing wantonly.  
As he put his hand around it, Nico hissed and let his head fall back, his hand momentarily halting in its movement.

Percy stroked up and down his length gently with one hand, his other hand searching for the bottle of lubrication.

"Percy, we don't have to if you…" Nico started as Percy found it, but he shook his head determinedly.

"Please." He had intended to have his voice sound determined and certain.

Instead, it came out as a small plea.

Nico took a deep breath. "Ok." He then muttered and let Percy dribble some of the liquid onto his hand to work on Nico's dick.

Nico groaned at the touch and his hands grasped Percy's buttocks tightly.  
Percy smiled and continued until Nico's dick was nice and slick.

Then he felt Nico move and allowed him to push Percy back down into the pillows with Nico between his legs.

Nico bent over him, kissing him gently as his hands travelled over his front, pinching his nipples lightly before moving further down to his dick, stroking it gently as his other hand pushed two fingers back inside Percy, hitting that sweet spot again while stretching Percy further so he wouldn't hurt him too much.

Percy groaned and pushed his hips up at Nico, wordlessly begging for more as he writhed beneath his touch, that sweet sensation washing over him over and over again.  
He needed Nico inside him right now.  
He knew it would hurt and he knew it wouldn't feel this great in the beginning, but he just needed to feel him right now.

"Please…" He begged after Nico kept fingering him mercilessly for another few minutes, Percy's dick throbbing dangerously.

Nico bent over and kissed him again in an open kiss, letting their tongues play again.

"Your wish is my command, my prince." He breathed against his lips, giving him a last peck before pulling his fingers out, causing Percy to almost whimper about the loss.

Then Nico repositioned himself slightly and prodded against Percy's entrance with his dick.  
Percy immediately wanted to tense up, but Nico must have expected it, for his hand was on Percy's dick a moment later, squeezing on his tip lightly and making Percy groan out – and Nico's dick slide in.

Oh god.

It didn't exactly _hurt_ , but it did _burn_ as he felt himself stretch around Nico's tip, the boy on top of him gasping and dropping his head next to Percy's, breathing heavily and his body trembling slightly.

Percy had his arms tightly wrapped around him, fingers clawing into his back slightly as Nico pushed himself further into Percy, causing him to wince and Nico to freeze.

Then Percy shook his head. "G-Go on…"

"Percy…" Nico muttered worriedly, but Percy wrapped his legs around Nico, tugging him closer and further inside, even though it still burnt slightly.

"I'm ok." He said determinedly.

Nico hesitated one moment longer, then lifted his head and pressed their lips together again, distracting Percy from the pain of the stretch.  
As he slowly began to relax, Nico began moving again, slowly thrusting further into him.

It still burnt, but somehow it soon started feeling better.

Then Nico suddenly pulled back out. "What…?" Percy started horrified, dreading that he had done something wrong.

But Nico only grabbed the bottle of lubrication again, slathering his dick with the liquid once more.  
Percy relaxed again in relief, spreading his legs further and actually eager to feel Nico's dick again.

It had hurt, yes, but somehow, the moment Nico had pulled out, Percy had felt the weirdest craving inside him to get Nico back inside, the loss almost unbearable.  
Nico seemed to notice, smiling at him and moving back over him, placing soft kisses on his forehead, nose, cheeks and lips before prodding against his entrance again with his dick.

This time, it slid in much easier and it actually felt surprisingly good.  
Until it got to the point Nico had stopped at earlier, though even that felt better now.

Percy groaned and let his head fall back, nodding wildly at Nico to continue as he hesitated.

"Yes…" He huffed, wrapping his legs tightly around the man as Nico began thrusting harder, pushing his dick in and out of Percy.

"Oh god, you feel so good…" Nico groaned, his eyes closed and his face scrounged up slightly, as if it took all of his willpower to hold back.

Percy grabbed his chin and pressed their lips together, his legs urging Nico deeper inside him.

"N-Nico…" He gasped, the burn now finally completely subsiding, making Nico's thrusts feel much better than before.

Oh god, yes, so much better.  
Better than his fingers.

"Does it still hurt?" Nico inquired worriedly, but Percy shook his head wildly. "Feels…amazing…" He admitted, writhing beneath Nico and trying to thrust back against him wantonly.

Nico chuckled quietly, relief showing in his dark, loving eyes.  
Then he gradually picked up speed, making Percy groan out loudly.

And that was before Nico suddenly found his good spot again.

"Nico!" Percy yelped, clawing Nico's shoulder blades and throwing his head back, eyes closed and his body growing rigid.

Nico kept the movement up, making Percy tremble and moan and groan and writhe beneath him.  
Oh god, he loved this so much.

"Percy, I'm about to…" Nico breathed through clenched teeth and Percy nodded, his own dick more than ready to burst.

"Yes…same…" He muttered, only to then groan again as Nico's thrusts became rougher and harsher, his hand wrapping itself around Percy's dick.

It only took a few quick strokes and a squeeze on Percy's tip, combined with several thrusts against his sweet spot and Percy arched his back, crying out his orgasm as his dick burst out strings of cum.

His vision momentarily went black as wave after wave of utter, absolute bliss washed over him, filling every fiber of his body and making him shiver and spasm over and over again, hearing Nico groan loudly above him, his dick contracting inside Percy and he felt him spasm as well as he came inside him.  
They were both trembling messes, panting heavily and looking into each other's eyes, both stunned and speechless, yet utterly elated and satisfied.

Then Nico's arms gave way and he dropped onto Percy, who only groaned, but wrapped his arms around him all the same, keeping him on top of him.

*****

"That was amazing." Nico muttered with a hint of awe and Percy chuckled, his hands in Nico's hair, playing with a few strands.

"You were amazing. That was the best first time I could have hoped for." He said quietly, only to feel Nico tense and push himself up.

"That was your first time?" He asked aghast, looking at Percy in shock.

Percy blinked surprised, then blushed and looked sideways, nodding quietly.  
Nico hadn't known? If Percy had known that, he wouldn't have said anything.

Damn it all, he didn't even want to know what Nico was thinking now.  
He felt a hand on his chin and his face was turned back towards Nico.

Soft lips met his. "I had no idea…I thought…oh god, Percy, why didn't you tell me?" Nico asked, kissing him over and over again, looking at him worriedly as if he was seriously thinking he had done something wrong, though Percy still had no idea what his problem was.

"I thought you knew. You were gentle enough to make me believe you knew. You're my first everything."

"I was gentle because I had no idea what I was doing and would never want to hurt you, Percy. If I had known you were still a virgin, you bet your sexy butt I would have gotten you off by hand tonight, preparing you the proper way over the next few days before daring to have sex with you." Nico exclaimed and shook his head in disbelief, sitting up.

Percy sat up as well, wrapping his arms around Nico, who looked about done with the world.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, pushing out his bottom lip and trying to get Nico to lay back down with him.

Nico looked around at him for a moment, his lip twitching.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Percy. What are you apologizing for? If anything, I am sorry."

"My inexperience. What are you apologizing for?" Percy asked, nibbling on Nico's shoulder, which caused Nico to shiver slightly.

He sighed deeply. "My inexperience."

"Never had a virgin before?" Percy guessed with a raised eyebrow, trying not to sound too bitter or jealous.

Nico frowned for a moment. Then he turned his face towards Percy.

"Percy, you do know this was my first time as well, right?"

For a long moment, there was silence, in which they only stared at each other in stunned confusion.  
Then Percy let go of him, aghast, staring at him in disbelief, while Nico started chuckling quietly.

This couldn't be. Nico had seemed so…confident.

He still stared at Nico, who was now holding his stomach, laughing quietly, while Percy could only shake his head.  
He had pushed Percy down with so much determination, as if he had known exactly what to do, finding exactly the right spots.

Nico was now laughing loudly, which did a funny thing to his face, temporarily making all the shadows disappear from his features.  
Percy's lips split into a small smile.  
He looked almost angelic.

"You know what, I still don't believe it." Percy muttered sulkily, shoving Nico playfully, who only fell backwards into the pillows, pulling Percy down with him.

He grinned at him, shaking his head. "I find the whole matter very amusing."

"I can see that. Just you wait until I get my revenge."

Percy had no idea what that revenge would be, but it felt good to declare war on Nico right now.

The dark-haired boy only grinned broader, raising a perfect eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes."

Nico chuckled and kissed the tip of his nose. "Sure, go right ahead. I'm all yours."

Percy hesitated. Then he groaned. "You aren't supposed to say something like that, you spoilsport. I'm declaring war on your butt, here!" He exclaimed, shaking his head in indignation.

Nico only laughed again and Percy decided he wanted to do a lot more things that would make Nico laugh.  
He looked so beautiful when he did.

"Alright, then. My butt says 'Whenever you are ready'."

Percy made a face. "How about right now?"

Nico raised a quizzical eyebrow. "If you think you're up for it."

Percy scowled. "Ok, that's it. Your butt is mine now."

Nico chuckled and they began rolling through the bed, play fighting for dominance, though Percy had the distinct feeling Nico wasn't really trying.

When he had his future husband pinned down and bent down to capture his lips in a demanding kiss, Nico complied only too willingly, still looking up at him with that gleam in his eyes.  
Percy nibbled on his bottom lip, one hand holding Nico's arms over his head, the other one moving down his body.

"Are you really ok with this?" Percy asked uncertainly as he wrapped his hand around Nico's renewed erection.

Nico chuckled. "Percy, I've wanted you to do this ever since you pushed up to me in your room. I'm more than ok with this. I don't really care about being top or bottom."

"I never thought I'd top."

"You want to?"

"Yes."

"Then it looks like this is going to be a long night." Nico said drily, making Percy chuckle.

"That I can guarantee."

"Percy?"

"Yes?"

"I love you." Nico muttered, freeing his hand to tug Percy down into a soft kiss.

Percy grinned and let their tongues touch again.

"I love you too, my Ghost King."

"There are no ghosts here anymore, though."

"Shush, you'll always be my Ghost King. Now let me ravish you."

"Yes, my darling fiancé."

Percy snorted in agreement to that term and pulled the blanket over them before going down Nico's body.

Oh yes, this was going to be a long night.

*****

It was.

And an even longer morning.

**********

Their wedding was held a month later, the entire castle bustling with joy and happiness as the staff fell over themselves to make everything perfect for those two dorks that didn't even have eyes for anything but each other (all those nice decorations…).

The building for the staff was finished in record time a few months later, thanks to Leo building a lot of helpful tools and Annabeth's perfect planning.  
The castle became a bright and ever busy place, surrounding townsfolk occasionally popping up, but usually the halls were filled with staff alone, all of them dining together in the spacious dining rooms.  
It was unusual, yes, and Nico and Percy knew the people from the surrounding towns talked a lot about them, but they couldn't care less.  
They were one big, happy family and that was all that mattered to them.

Nico was also the one marrying Jason and Leo off to each other a few months later, helping them build up their shop in the town closest to the castle, though they still lived with them and Leo became the official manufacturer of any tools or machines the castle needed, instantly getting him into good business with the merchants.

Annabeth and Piper got married as well, also by Nico, though a long time afterwards, almost an entire year later, because Annabeth proved to be a perfectionist, first wanting the perfect place and setting for them, making enough money with little architecture projects she worked on for anybody who was interested.

Ethan came visiting them once to thank them once more and let them know Luke had healed up. Whether they were a couple now or not, Percy and Nico didn't know, but Ethan seemed pretty happy and told them Luke had changed, not being the bragging, annoying dickhead anymore who was nothing but full of himself. They took his word for it and were somewhat glad things had worked out fine, though they still didn't wish to see him again, at least not for the next few years.

Sally and Paul actually stayed in the castle, Paul giving the staff as well as the kids from the towns some school lessons, since they turned out to have quite the education gap, while Sally took a liking to writing, adding quite a few books to the library and Percy had never seen her happier.

 

And Percy and Nico?

They lived happily ever after.

(And the staff was _very_ glad to have their own building, because they could get _really_ loud at night.)

 

_The End_

**A/N:**  
Hello there, Cupcakes (●´ω｀●)  
So, this is it. I hope you enjoyed my little crossover ;)

It certainly was an interesting experience. I really enjoyed writing it.  
Who knows, maybe my dear husband will try challenge me again and I'll do some more crossovers (He still has to read this one. Not too pleased about it. Apparently, he really thought I couldn't pull it off and would give up midway. Pfft, and then he says he knows me ﾍ(￣▽￣*)ﾉ )

But I think for now I'm going to concentrate on the Advent Calendar sequel and the Jasico Story that's driving me mad *again ignoring the 50+ other unfinished stories in fanfiction-folder*

Anyways, thanks for reading :D I really hope you enjoyed the story.

You guys are the best.

I might add a One-Shot to explain why Kronos butted in and how he knew Nico and try answer all the still unanswered questions, but not too sure yet.

Love you all,  
Tári

 


	9. Special: Shadows of the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a year since the curse had been lifted and Nico and Percy intend to spend their evening snuggled up in front of the open fireplace, enjoying their peace.  
> But then they get a surprise visitor, with an even more surprising story that opens old wounds and forces Nico to confront the shadows of his past and the one memory he had never wanted to share: His sister.

A/N: Hello cupcakes :D  
Sooo, here we go, I finally decided to write the One-Shot I was thinking about doing. I started last night and wanted to upload it, but AO3 was still down and then my work was missing so I decided to wait until today.  
I hope you like it :)  
If there are any more questions I didn't answer yet, please don't hesitate to leave a message ;o

Thanks for all the Kudos and Reviews by the way, you're the best!!  
(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Love you guys,  
Tári

* * *

**Special: Shadows of the Past**

 

Nico placed a kiss on the top of Percy's head as they sat huddled together in front of the fireplace, Percy between his legs with his back against Nico's chest, the blue blanket wrapped tightly around them.

His husband turned his head slightly towards him, throwing him a sweet smile and snuggling back against him affectionately.

"I can’t believe it has been one year already." His prince muttered and Nico wrapped his arms around him tightly, finding that he couldn't agree more.

An entire year had passed ever since that one fateful day the curse had been lifted, the day he had died, the day the love of his life had come back for him and broke the curse with loving him back.

He grinned to himself and nuzzled his face against Percy's neck, who chuckled and turned his head again, wordlessly asking for a kiss.  
Nico instantly complied, pressing their lips together gently.

What a wonderful year it had been.  
Percy truly was the most amazing person in the world.

"I love you." The dark-haired whispered against his lips and Nico smiled, giving him another peck. "I love you more."

They heard steps outside the door and looked around, wondering faintly who that might be.

The staff generally left them alone when they retreated to this room after a tedious day.

And it certainly had been, given they had first finished all the preparation for the oncoming celebration (Clarisse, one of the maids and the toughest girl Nico had ever encountered, was having a baby, much to the delight of her boyfriend Chris, who could barely wait and loved to tell everybody how many times he had felt the baby kicking or moving in general) and then spent the rest of the day outside in the snow with a few other members of the staff, as well as Jason and Leo, who had come over from their shop in the village.

There came a knock on the door and Hazel stood in the door, looking rather nervous and bewildered.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but there's somebody at the door who wishes to see you." She muttered and Nico blinked, sharing a surprised look with Percy as they got up.

"Who is it?" He asked, but Hazel shook her head. "I have no idea. He didn't say his name and I have never seen him here before. Frank is with him."

Nico exchanged another glance with Percy, seeing him as puzzled as Nico felt.  
They never got any visitors that didn't give their names.

Then again, they didn't get that many visitors, anyways - mainly because the surrounding villages found their master-servant relationship weird, since he wasn't ordering his staff around much (Why would he? They never did what he told them to, anyways).

But even if there were visitors, there were never any coming this late.  
It was already turning dark, after all.

Strange. Very strange.

 ***

They left the room to meet the mysterious stranger, the halls brightly lit as usual.

It truly was astounding how much the castle had changed ever since Percy had shown up.  
It actually seemed even brighter than before Nico's life had been hell and he had still been a happy, oblivious child.  
Then again, that had been a very long time ago, so it could be he was just imagining things.

As they neared the door and his eyes fell on the stranger, his bewilderment grew.  
He had never seen this man before.

Percy seemed to have had, however, for he froze next to him, staring at the visitor in disbelief.

Then his lips split into a wide smile and he rushed forward.

"Chiron! Sir! It's so good to see you again!" He exclaimed loudly, his eyes sparkling with excitement and surprise and joy.

The man laughed quietly, looking at Percy bemused and watching him bounce up and down in front of him.

"Percy. I see you haven't changed one bit ever since the last time we have met. Please don't ask me to train with you, though. I feel I truly am too old for that by now." He said quietly and Nico awoke from his stupor.

Chiron. Training.

That's right.

He remembered.

Percy had told him back when Nico had given him the training room that there had been this old man in his village, training him and giving him that sword of his that he still cherished. (In fact, he still talked about the man every now and then when they sparred, but Nico tended to focus more on Percy’s movements than his words in those times, since getting distracted could literally cost him some limbs).

He looked the man up and down.

He truly looked old, that was for certain. His hair and beard was greying heavily, only a few dark strands left every here and there. His stance was dignified and proud, though, and Nico didn't doubt for a second that the man wasn't as frail as he seemed.  
He was fairly certain he could still put up a good fight, not to mention spar just fine.  
He had trained Percy, after all, and Percy had been the first in forever to stand his ground against Nico's sword fighting skills.

The man met his gaze as they stood in front of each other and Nico could swear he saw something in them that didn't make any sense.

Recognition? Realization? Guilt?

He didn't know what to make of it.

Nevertheless, he held out his hand. "Good evening, sir. You must be the man Percy keeps telling me about whenever we train." He greeted politely, again breaking all the rules as to how a king should be acting towards outsiders, but he couldn’t care less.  
The man blinked mildly surprised, but shook his hand nevertheless and Nico's assumption of the man's strength solidified as he felt the firm, strong grip.

"Good evening, Your Majesty. It is a pleasure as well as an honor to meet you. I am Percy's former trainer." He introduced himself with a little bow, showing that he did know his place, even though Nico apparently didn’t care much about it.

Nico nodded quietly and their handshake ended, the man instantly leaning back onto his walking stick that Nico only now noticed.  
He also noticed they were still standing in the hallway, Hazel and Frank standing next to him with uncertain expressions.

He cleared his throat. "Do come in then and have a seat. Hazel, please prepare some tea for our guest. Frank, can you tell the others to prepare a little something to eat?" He announced, gesturing for the man to come in.

He didn't dare to offer Chiron any help or make it seem as if he might need any.  
Something told him the man wouldn't appreciate it whatsoever.

He heard Percy let out a relieved sigh and had the impression he had had the right intuition.

Chiron's eyes glinted with amusement as he entered, letting Nico and Percy lead the way to the room they had occupied earlier.

 ***

They sat the man down in the most comfortable arm chair, moving it closer to the fire before dragging the table over and getting everything ready.

Chiron watched them with what seemed like bemusement, as if it surprised him they did this themselves, instead of getting some staff to do it for them, but at the same time wasn't surprised at all.

As soon as they were all seated and Hazel and Frank brought tea and some sandwiches, there was silence in the room, Chiron gazing at the flames in the fireplace thoughtfully.

Percy shifted slightly and Nico watched him amused. He seemed to be bustling with curiosity.  
He wanted to take his hand, inwardly craving the physical contact they usually had at this time of the day, but he knew that would be inappropriate, so he didn't.

Instead, he turned to look at the old man again. "So, to what do I owe the honor of meeting your acquaintance, sir?" He asked calmly, noticing Percy shuffle some more and lean forward, seemingly eager to find out as well.

He was so adorable.

Chiron sighed and looked down at his hands folded in his lap for a long moment, seemingly contemplating something.

Nico had the distinct expression this was not something minor. In fact, he had the nagging suspicion this was about something really big and rather unpleasant.  
His intuition proved right once more when Chiron's expression turned grave as he looked up to meet their eyes.

"I have come to apologize. To apologize, and to confess to you what I should have done one year ago. Instead, I left like a coward, hoping to avoid all of this like the fool I was."

There was silence in the room as he finished and Nico and Percy exchanged confused glances.

What?

Nico frowned. "I fear I do not understand, sir."

Chiron sighed. He suddenly looked even older than before, almost ancient now. His gaze fixed itself on the fire, painful memories playing behind his dark, sunken eyes.

"One year ago, a man came here. A man who seemed as old and weak as me, but was as strong as a young warrior, skilled as the old sword masters, cunning as a fox and as evil as the devil."

A shiver ran down Nico's back and he felt his pulse quickening, a sick feeling surging through his stomach as he remembered the man with the golden eyes that had tried his best to kill them all for reasons Nico had never found out.

Percy stiffened next to him, apparently going through a similar turmoil of emotions.

Chiron sighed heavily, taking in their now guarded expressions with a pained smile. "I take it you know who I am talking about."

Nico sat up straighter, watching the man intently. "I take it you know who he was?"

Chiron pursed his lips, looking at a point far away. "Of course I do. He was my father."

For a moment, utter silence filled the room as the information slowly sickered in.

Then Percy jumped up, his expression disturbed, confused, angry and unbelieving, while Nico just sat there, blinking rapidly as he tried to make sense of it all.

This...couldn't be.

"What?! This must be a joke! How could he..." Percy exclaimed, gesturing wildly and staring at Chiron as if he was expecting him to laugh and say 'April Fool' or something.

He didn't.  
Instead, he sighed pained, as if he had expected all of this.

Nico tugged on Percy's shirt, getting him to sit back down. "Percy, calm down. But sir, I do have to admit I am confused. I do not wish to appear rude, but I had the impression the man in question was too...please do not take this the wrong way, but the man seemed younger. Too young to be your father, sir." He explained hesitantly, not wishing to hurt the man's pride or feelings, but he did look ancient, while Kronos had looked old, but not that old.

To his surprise, Chiron chuckled. Though it was without a trace of humor. "Indeed. If he had been as old as he had looked, that would be correct, Your Majesty. But I can ensure you, he was a lot older than that, and he truly was my father. I am ashamed to admit it, but such is life. One cannot choose their family."

Nico found himself sympathizing with the old man for some reason, even though he knew he shouldn't trust him one bit, given that he was the apparent son of the maniac man who had tried to slaughter them and almost succeeded before getting killed by them instead.

What if he was out for revenge?  
But he didn't look like it. And Nico knew the family-part only all too well, still resenting his father for leaving them behind the way he had done.

Though his father hadn't gone psycho and tried to kill a bunch of people for apparent fun.

Percy looked crestfallen.  
Nico could only guess what his prince was thinking.  
This was the man he had practically looked up to, worshipped even. The man who had taken him in and taught him how to fight with a sword, exactly what Percy had always dreamed of.  
And now he turned out to be related to the one man who had tried his hardest to kill him (and succeeded in killing Nico).

Nico knew it must be hard on him right now.

He fixed his attention back on the man. "Alright. May I inquire why you have come here to inform us of this?" He asked calmly, even though his insides were still in turmoil.

Could they trust this man?  
Well, even if he did try something, Nico knew Hazel and Frank weren't far away and would alert the entire castle at the first notice of dispute, so there was that.

And Nico was confident he could stay his ground long enough to protect Percy and himself if it came down on it until his staff would come rushing in (In times like this it was good to know they had his back unconditionally and would never betray him. He knew not many kings could claim that).

Chiron looked down at the cup of tea. "As I have stated, I wish to apologize. I know it is not much and nothing will ever excuse the doings of that man, nor my own doings, but-..."

"What do you mean, 'your doings'?" Percy cut in instantly, frowning confused.

Nico also wondered what that was about, watching as Chiron sighed deeply and took a sip of the tea. "This is...a long story. Going back a long, long, very long time." He said quietly, looking older by the moment.

Nico leaned back in his seat, looking over at Percy, who looked towards him quizzically.

He really wondered what all of this was about.  
What was Chiron talking about?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt certain that he must have known Kronos before that one fateful day.  
He remembered thinking there was something familiar about him, but still couldn't tell why or how.

Did this maybe even have something to do with Bianca?

His insides turned and he pushed the thought firmly out of his mind.

There was no way.

"We have time. Please, tell us your story." He said quietly, taking a sip of his own tea and reaching out for Percy's hand with his other one.

If this was going to take some time, and if this man was the son of the man who had almost killed him (well, killed him but he had kind of survived, he guessed?), then he couldn't care less what he'd think of them.  
Percy instantly grasped his hand, holding it tight and Nico wished they were still sitting huddled together in front of the fireplace right about now.

Chiron didn't seem perturbed in the slightest by their open display of affection, instead clearing his throat and shuffling as if to get into a better position, his expression strained and thoughtful as if he was still trying to make up his mind about where to start.

Nico didn't know what to expect other than that this was going to take quite a while.  
He also didn't know whether he really wanted to know.

But he couldn't deny he wanted to find out more about Kronos, why he had apparently looked younger than he was, why he come here, who he had been in the first place.  
Why he had wanted to kill him in particular.

He just hoped Chiron would be able to answer all of those questions, else this was going to be one waste of time.

It wasn't.

***

Long, long time ago, all the kingdoms were united in one big kingdom, led by Kronos.

This went well for a while - if one ignored the fact that he was keeping all his children locked up in the dungeon out of fear of corruption.

He had lots of children, eleven, in fact (at least from the queen. He had plenty of other children with other women as well, but they had no claim on the crown, so he generally didn’t even acknowledge their existence).

Kronos didn't hate them or anything, he couldn't care less about them, in fact, but he feared they could overthrow him, so he kept them out of reach of anything that could help them gain any power.  
So he locked them up, keeping them away from the outside world, refusing to give them any tuition, nor too much food or anything in general, so they would grow into dumb, dependent adults he could command around at will, like his staff.

But even the staff had a better life. The kids lived worse than slaves.

His wife obviously wasn't very happy about this, not understanding the sudden paranoia her husband had developed.  
So, when she found out she was pregnant with their twelfth child, she didn't tell him instantly, instead acting ill and keeping out of his way.  
She almost made it through, but he found out close towards the end of her third trimester and locked her up, furious with her for keeping the news of the coming baby from him and thinking she wished to betray him.

In her despair for her child, she pleaded to her midwife to help her, to take the child with her and raise it as her own instead of giving it up to that horrible man she had married.  
Her midwife was an old, frail lady, but she was smart, too, and together they made a plan.

When she gave birth to a healthy little boy, the midwife hid him under her gown and brought out a bundle filled with rags and parts of a pig, all covered in blood, so when Kronos came to demand the child, the midwife ran from the room in terror, clutching the bundle while the real baby was safely hidden beneath her billowing dress, hoping against hope it wouldn't make a sound, instead wailing loudly about it being stillborn.

The mother joined in the wailing and weeping and Kronos only took a quick look at the blood-covered bundle, believing their lies and allowing the midwife to leave, not even punishing the mother or killing the midwife for possible witchcraft, since he hadn’t wanted another child in the first place.

This is how the little boy managed to grow up outside the castle as a fairly normal boy, though he always knew who he was and what his destiny was: He would free his brothers and sisters and overthrow the monster that was his father.

So in early age he already studied and learned much more than children twice his age, getting all the knowledge he could muster.

When he was old enough to be able to work, he immediately went to the castle and, due to his charisma and strong will, instantly got hired.

He did his work fast and efficiently, but not because the pay was good or because he wanted to impress anybody - as soon as nobody was looking, he would sneak down into the dungeons and try make contact with his siblings, sneaking in some food and giving them brief lessons in the most basic things so they developed an independent mind of their own and began rebelling.

Soon, the twelve began scheming together and one night, the boy stole the keys and freed them, before confronting his father.

 

Chiron paused here, taking a sip of his tea and looking at Nico and Percy, both gazing at him, transfixed.

He decided he wouldn't go into too much detail, since this was just so they had a bit of background information.

 

The twelve managed to overthrow their father, banishing him from the kingdom to never return, and the youngest wanted to take over rulership instead.  
The other kids were somewhat fine with that, except two brothers, who wanted the rulership for themselves instead.  
This obviously led to a dispute, and they ended up splitting the kingdom into three smaller kingdoms.

One of them was this one, led by Nico's father.

The other two were led by the youngest and another brother, but that wasn't important.  
What was important, though, was that Kronos had never truly left.

Instead, he had taken to roaming the kingdoms, looking for a way to get back to power, spreading fake rumors and hate, causing dispute everywhere.

But the other two kingdoms soon noticed and banished him once more, making this his last chance to take over.

He came here with Chiron, (who was the child with one of his many mistresses he had had, though none of them had been with him willingly) with the excuse that he wished to lead a normal life now and apparently wished Chiron to get him into a position to teach youngsters to sword fight as well, since that’s what Chiron had done up to then in various places, often kingdoms.

Here, however, Chiron didn’t aim to work in the castle, instead settling for the village, which caused a heavy argument with his father.  
That was when Chiron found out his father had not changed whatsoever and had only accompanied him here to get closer to the castle, to find any form of weakness he could use to gain power.

Their ways parted and while Chiron stayed in the village, his father began working in the castle, ignoring how this was much beneath his status and pride for the sake of the throne.

The other staff didn't pay him much mind, since they were all grieving for the loss of their queen, who had died of an apparent illness.

Kronos tried to get close to his son - the king – and even contemplated murdering him, but the king was so miserable and desperate that he locked himself in his room most of the time, out of Kronos' reach.

Then, one day, the king just left.

Kronos couldn't believe his luck.

Now there were only two children left, after all.  
They couldn't possibly run the kingdom...or so he had thought.

Chiron told them about the conversations his father had had with him then, rambling about how the staff and villages apparently found the kids perfectly capable of handling the responsibility.  
How he had begun scheming and planning and trying to spread rumors as he had done before, but was met with blank stares and over-protective staff.

Chiron himself had already begun trying to stop his father, make him see reason, but to no avail.

After an especially bad argument between them, Kronos had left, calling his henchmen together whom he had managed to get under his control with empty promises of wealth and power.

 

And Chiron told them of the horrible day he had went after his father, holding him up in front of the castle where he had wished to kill the young prince – Nico di Angelo – while his sister was out in town.

He told them how he had confronted his father, how he had stood in his way, unwilling to step aside and let him harm the prince who was inside the castle at that time.

And he told them how his father had raised his weapon against him, his own son, cursing him and fighting him, wounding him badly in the end, causing Chiron to lose consciousness.

It was a miracle his father hadn’t killed him.

Instead, he had dumped him into the bushes and went to kill the prince, but was unable to do so, for Nico had already left in a hurry to try save his sister, who had been attacked by Kronos’ henchmen in the meantime.

 

Nico jumped up from his seat, his face pale, his eyes wild and his limbs trembling with horror, shock, and blind hot fury. “That was him! Bianca’s death…is his fault?!”

Chiron couldn’t blame him.

He just sat there, watching Nico staring at him with what could only be identified as hatred and guilt, as if Nico wished it had been Bianca Chiron had saved, not him.  
Percy had gotten up as well, holding onto Nico’s shoulders, holding him back, keeping him from pulling out his sword and cutting Chiron to pieces.

Chiron wouldn’t have stopped him.

“Yes. He had it all planned out to eliminate both of you that day and take over the throne with everything else in chaos. But because I interfered, the prince – you – were able to escape just in time without even meaning to, and Kronos was forced to leave the castle and flee into the woods to wait for another chance to kill you.” He explained, never breaking eye contact with Nico, who muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like a series of curses Chiron didn’t even want to hear.

Then there was defiance in his gaze. “If you think I’m going to be grateful or some sort of-…”

Chiron instantly held up his hands. “I do not possess such arrogance, I ensure you. I didn’t know at the time that he had targeted both of you. If I had known of his plans to send his men after the the princess, I might have been able to prevent it. But I didn’t know, Your Majesty. I only found out when I awoke in one of your very own sick beds, your very own medic tending to my wounds. She had found me bleeding to death in the bushes and thought I must have been a messenger or something along those lines and had taken it upon herself to save me. It is thanks to her and he son that I was able to keep my legs, as well as my life.” He explained quietly, remembering the two people that had saved his life.

She and her son had helped him get back on his feet and taken care of him even though they were mourning the loss of the future queen as much as the rest of the castle and even though they had had no idea whether he might not even have been in on the killing himself.

Nico still stood, his expression defiant and his stature showing he was more than willing to throw himself at Chiron, but Percy still held him back, whispering something under his breath ever so quietly.  
But Chiron wasn’t even trying to make out any words, instead waiting to see what would happen.

Nico glowered at him, but didn’t move, didn’t attack.

It took a few minutes, then his nose twitched with apparent annoyance and he sat back down, still glaring daggers at Chiron.

“Go on.” He ordered coldly, though Chiron saw him taking Percy’s hand again and watched how they exchanged gentle squeezes, as if to communicate that everything was going to be ok.

He didn’t mind the openly displayed physical contact.  
In fact, it showed him that Nico wasn’t dangerous or violent.  
He was just upset and hurt, which was understandable, given he had just found out who had been responsible for his sister’s murder.

So Chiron took a deep breath and continued on his story.

How he had stayed in the castle for a while, not permitted to leave until he managed to walk again.

How he had made it his goal to protect Nico by all means, leading to him tracking down all of the henchmen responsible for Bianca’s death.

He told them how he had killed them all one by one, trying to get to his father, to avenge Bianca and all the others his father had harmed and killed and slaughtered, and those who had been left behind to mourn bitterly, like the two healers that had saved his life.

 

It took him a year to track them all down, but all the while Kronos had managed to evade him, keeping his head low, so when Chiron had killed the last one of his men, he had lost all connections to Kronos, thus losing his trail.

And so, Chiron had been forced to give up for the time being, returning to the village.  
He had played with the thought of telling Nico about what had happened, but had decided against it because the 14-year old had had enough trouble trying to keep the kingdom running by himself, a bitter, mourning child in a world full of adults.

Chiron hadn’t wanted to add to that burden, especially since he had had no idea where his father was, and he didn’t think it wise to tell Nico something that might make him up and leave at a moment’s notice for a chance of revenge.

To this, Nico grunted, but otherwisely didn’t say a word, so Chiron told them how he had found 10-year old Percy and taken it upon himself to training him after seeing him demolishing the worst dummies he had ever seen.

 

That was how the years had passed, with him keeping one eye on Percy, the other eye on the castle, waiting for any sign his father was returning.

He had been about to let his guard down, thinking the danger must have passed, when everything had happened at once.

It had been a completely unrelated journey to a neighboring village to meet with an old friend of his that had led him to go by the castle, just to witness the strangest thing in his entire life.

He was just outside the castle grounds, watching Nico converse with an old woman, when the old woman suddenly transformed into what seemed to be a young and beautiful lady, and next moment everything had turned light and dark at the same time.

Chiron hadn’t been able to tell his left from his right, but he had been incapable of looking away all the same, watching transfixed how people inside the castle grounds had become mere shadows of their former selves, their bodies disappearing into puddles on the ground, while the castle was becoming dark and eerie like the prince.

And then Chiron had seen his father among the people.

As it turned out, his father had chosen that very day to infiltrate the castle once more, with every intention of killing the prince that night.  
Chiron had no idea how long he had been in the area again already, or for how long he had had this planned out already.  
All he had known back then was that he was not going to let his father ruin any more lives.

So he had rushed in there, even with the curse being set.  
He had crossed the gateway, instantly feeling as if his soul was getting ripped off his body – or maybe the other way around – but he hadn’t stopped until he had reached his father, a howling wreck that had tried to flee with running into the wrong direction.

Then he had grabbed him and dragged him back towards the entrance, fighting against every fiber of his own body, wishing so badly he was faster so they could make it.

His wish had been granted.

Somehow, they had made it past the gateway, but it came at a high price.  
The witch Hecate found them lying on the ground in front of the castle, half affected by the curse.

Half affected, because their souls had been enhanced and strengthened as those of the rest of the staff, turning them what could be considered immortal – but they were still capable of leaving the grounds, still capable of living an utterly normal life unlike the rest of the staff.

Chiron had been less affected for he had never worked in the castle.

Kronos on the other hand had never truly been fired and had been close to knocked out from the power of the curse on him.

 

“So that’s where he got those time-controlling powers from.” Nico muttered quietly, his anger seemingly finally subsiding slightly, making space for a thoughtful expression.

Chiron nodded. “The witch herself hadn’t noticed that little fact, otherwisely she would have probably never let us live. She cursed us to never find the castle again, thinking we were mere servants that had tried to run for it and were meant to be punished for our betrayal.”

“Never find the castle again?” Percy asked perplexed.

Chiron nodded. “Yes, we could wander around right in front of the gate and still never find it, unless we were shown a direct way to it by somebody or something that had been there before.” He explained and watched Percy and Nico exchange a meaningful glance.

“The mirror.” They both said and Chiron frowned, but decided not to ask what they meant by that.

Instead, he told them how his father had noticed his special powers the very moment the witch Hecate had disappeared, instantly turning on Chiron and slowing down time around them to make his grand escape, swearing he’d be back and if it was the last thing he would do.

Chiron also told them he himself didn’t have any special powers.

It was probably because he had never been part of the staff.  
It also didn’t really matter to him. Never had. Never would.

All he had cared about was that this horrible man that called himself his father would never be able to find Nico, never be able to harm him, never be able to take the throne.

 

“Until you heard of Percy disappearing and rumors spreading about a demonic castle and a zombie master.” Nico summed up and Chiron nodded.

“I knew in an instant he would be here, but there was nothing I could do to help, because I couldn’t find the way, after all. So I journeyed through the forests aimlessly, trying to find something that would be of help, but there was simply no chance. I travelled to the surrounding villages in the hope of finding just one person who had been to the castle before, but in vain. And by the time I had come back, Luke had already put everything in motion to get rid of Percy’s parents and suddenly, Percy had been back, just to then disappear, with everyone else gone to exorcise Nico. I knew time was running out, so I rushed to the last part of the forest closest to the castle I could remember. I just knew my father must have something to do with all this and I knew that if Percy had been back, that was one person that could lead him there. And for the second time in my life, I just wished to be faster, just a bit faster so I could make it.”

And for the second time in his life, his wish had been granted.

“You were the archer!” Nico suddenly exclaimed, looking at him wide-eyed.

Percy gaped at him, equally surprised.

Chiron nodded quietly. “I was. The moment I saw you fighting on the roof and the blood he had spilled, I knew I could and would not let this go on any further. So I went up on that roof and I shot him in a futile attempt to save you kids.” He explained, closing his eyes at the memory.

One couldn’t choose their family.

Still, it had been horrible to shoot arrows at his own father, even if he had been a horrible person.

He had fled the castle right after the curse had been lifted and he had been certain Nico and Percy would be fine, unable to reveal his identity to them, nor the role he had played in the entire story.

When he looked up, he found Percy and Nico exchanging glances again, but nobody said anything for a long moment.

Chiron sighed and looked at the fire once more.

 ***

“And this is it, Your Majesty. I do not ask for forgiveness. All I ask for is the chance to apologize for what has happened, for what he has done and the sorrow he has caused, as well as for my mistakes.” The old man said after a long moment of silence and Nico looked at him, trying to sort out how he felt about this man.

He had saved his life.

But he had let Bianca die. His father had been the one to kill her. Maybe not directly, but he had given the order, at the very least.

Chiron hadn’t had anything to do with that, though.  
It hadn’t been any of his business, but he had still come and tried to stop Kronos from killing Nico, ultimately saving his life and almost losing his own.

Still, Bianca had died.

Then again, Chiron had probably saved his life a second time when he had dragged Kronos out of the castle grounds, else Nico might have been stuck with him here and then he was fairly certain the evil monster of a man would have killed him sooner or later, not caring whether it would lift the curse or not, as long as he had the throne.

So this made Chiron a good guy, right?

One couldn’t choose his family, after all.

Blaming him for Bianca’s death was as reasonable as Percy blaming Nico for the departure of his coward father.

He felt Percy’s hand squeezing his gently and looked around at him, taking in his worried, soft gaze quietly for a moment.

Then he came to a decision.

“I shall accept your apology. You are correct, one cannot choose their family and it would be wrong to blame you for something that you had no partake in.” He stated and watched Chiron blink surprised for a splint second before composing himself again and nodding curtly.

“Thank you very much, your Majesty. That is more than I could have wished for. You are very wise for your age.”

Nico looked over at Percy, thinking to himself that it was all because Percy was with him.

Without Percy, he would have never found happiness.

He would have been miserable, and he would have never forgiven anybody, not others, not Chiron, not himself.

And thus, he leaned over and kissed the love of his life, uncaring whether Chiron saw or not.  
Percy made a surprised sound, but kissed back nevertheless, his lips so seductively soft.

Reluctantly, he pulled back and looked towards their guest, who merely poured himself another cup of tea, apparently unfazed by the scene playing in front of him.

He noticed Nico’s gaze and his lips twitched. “I shall be taking my leave in a moment, Your Majesty.” He announced as if he expected Nico to wish to kick him out now his story had been told.

Nico could immediately feel Percy tense up beside him, his head turning towards the window, looking at the darkness outside.

“If you wish, I shall have a room prepared for you and you may stay the night.” He said calmly, seeing Percy look around at him mildly surprised out of the corner of his eye.

Chiron seemed surprised as well.

Nico raised an eyebrow. “In return, how about you and I have a little sparring session tomorrow? I would like to see if you can best me. Percy is the only opponent in forever who comes close and he always insisted you were better than him, so I can’t deny I’m curious.”

Percy chuckled next to him, hiding his face in his hands, while Chiron still seemed surprised.

Then he smiled as well, a defeated sigh escaping his lips.

“Well, in that case there is no way I could possibly refuse. I just hope I can live up to your standards, Your majesty.”

Nico didn’t doubt him for a second. He was more than certain that Chiron held a lot more power than his appearance might let on.

 ***

When Nico and Percy finally went to bed that night, Percy wasn’t feeling tired whatsoever.

“Nico?”

“Hm?” He hummed, his arms around Percy, his eyes closed.

Percy always enjoyed watching him falling asleep or waking up.

He looked so angelic, the shadows that still haunted him by times finally leaving his face.

“Are you ok?” He asked quietly, knowing that Nico was only acting so relaxed and peaceful, what with all Chiron had told them.

Nico opened one lazy eye, mustering him.  
Then he sighed and tugged him closer.

“Sleep, my love.” He ordered and buried his nose in Percy’s hair.

Percy inwardly rolled his eyes and moved to place a kiss on Nico’s collarbone in front of him.

“You know you can talk to me about everything, right?”

Nico chuckled ever so quietly. “I know.”

“Then don’t always keep everything to yourself. You always do that. Talk to me. Now.” He ordered, nibbling on Nico’s cool skin and feeling him shiver in response.

For a moment, there was silence.

“Fine.” Nico sighed in defeat and Percy waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Just as he was about to ask whether Nico had fallen asleep, Nico shifted slightly, holding Percy tightly pressed against him as if to prevent him from moving, from looking at Nico.

“She was all I had left…” He started quietly and Percy had to force himself not to freeze or hold his breath as he realized Nico was actually going to talk.

About Bianca.

The one topic he had always avoided.

“Bianca and I, we were always close, always together. We would talk about anything and everything and be there for each other. After mother had died, we were there for each other. When our ‘father’ left us behind to fend for ourselves, we were there for each other, somehow making it work. The staff helped, of course, but it was mainly the two of us. It was always just the two of us. And I loved her, I really did. And I know she loved me. But sometimes…sometimes we just argued…so bad…” His voice turned to a mere whisper towards the end and Percy had to strain his ears to hear what he said, feeling his grip on him tighten.

“She wasn’t happy. She didn’t want to be queen. She didn’t even want to be a princess. All she wanted to be was a normal kid, have a normal life. She had always wanted that. Even with mom and dad still around. Sometimes, she would sneak out of the castle with me, dressed like ordinary people and spend the day running around with normal other kids our age. After my dad had left, she still did it by times, but she wanted to do it alone. She wanted to do everything alone all of a sudden. I don’t know why or how it had happened, what I had done wrong to make her push me away like that. And we would argue, I would yell at her for leaving like that, for being no better than our father. And she would yell right back at me for being such a little kid and that she wanted to have her own life for once. Whenever we fought, it would be about that. I hated it. I really did. And I wanted it to stop. I tried to follow her, tried to be a part of her life because I was just so scared she was going to…going to really leave like our father had…” Nico admitted meekly, his hands fisting the back of Percy’s shirt.

He began stroking up and down his husband’s back, trying to comfort him quietly while waiting for him to continue.

He could only picture all too well how Nico must have felt, even though he himself had never been in a situation like this.  
Just thinking about it felt horrible and painful and sad.

And not for the first time, Percy wished there could have been something – anything – he could have done, anyone could have done, to prevent the pain Nico had had to go through, to help him master it now.

But all he could do was stay quiet and listen.

“I followed her to the city and found out she had found herself a bunch of girls that seemed to dislike boys and never let any close to them. They would hang out together all day long, talking and running through the forest, training with bow and arrow as if they wanted to become huntresses instead of taking care of the housework. I didn’t know what to make of it all, not because I really cared what they did, but that Bianca was part of it, wanting to become a…a huntress, and that she didn’t like boys, apparently. I still remember how I hid behind a bunch of bushes, wondering if this meant she didn’t like me because I was a boy. Wondered whether she’d still be with me if I had been her sister, not her brother. But I told myself it wasn’t because of that and that everything was going to be ok, because she had always been there for me and I knew she loved me and that all of this was just her trying to have fun for a bit before coming back to the castle. And I felt a bit better. Until I overheard them talking. One of them, the leader, I guess, asked her whether she wanted to join them for real, live with them, even. I was shocked. Horrified. Devastated. Especially because she seemed to really consider it. That’s when they found me in the bushes and dragged me out, apparently thinking I had been spying on them because I was a pervert or something – which was stupid, because I was merely thirteen, I didn’t even really know the meaning of the word ‘pervert’ at the time.” He muttered indignantly and Percy had to bite back a small chuckle.

The story wasn’t funny, of course, but the way he seemed to be upset about being called a pervert certainly was.

“And Bianca…she was so…so angry. She stopped them from what felt like them trying to kill me, telling them I was her brother. The way she had said it just felt…it just felt as if she was so ashamed. Ashamed of having a brother. Ashamed of having _me_ as her brother. And I was so hurt, I ended up pulling away from the two girls holding me and yelling that I heard she wanted to join them and that she was the worst sister ever for betraying me like that. Then I turned and ran back to the castle without looking back. I hid out in my room, hating the world while being scared beyond belief that she would really just leave me behind, leave me to fend for myself as our dad had left us to ourselves. But with every passing hour I also got angrier, because she wasn’t coming back and I felt so hurt. I hated her. Even though I loved her, I still hated her. And I hated myself for hating her. She was all I had left and the most important person in my life, yet I couldn’t help but hate her for making me feel so…unworthy. Unimportant. How could she just leave me behind like that? She was all I had left, yet she simply didn’t care, pushing me away and hanging out with those stupid girls. And I hated the girls too, for taking her away from me.” His voice was laced with pain and Percy knew that this was still bothering Nico, that he was still feeling the same resentment and hate deep inside him that he had felt for those girls, his sister and himself that he had felt all that time ago.

He continued stroking his back gently, feeling Nico shake his head slightly, his face still in Percy’s hair.

“I was so scared she wouldn’t come back that day. She did eventually come back, but by then I was even angrier that she had taken so long to come back that I couldn’t even feel relieved at her coming back at all. In fact, I partly even wished she hadn’t come back, because now it just felt as if she had simply not cared at all for how I might have been feeling about all this, instead spending her day having fun with her friends and forgetting about me until she had to remember she had a brother and a kingdom to take care of. Needless to say, we had the biggest argument ever. She yelled at me for being attentive and obnoxious, while I called her selfish, stupid and cruel. In the end, I threw it in her face that she could go join those dumb chicks she so wanted to be with instead of her little brother, that she was no bit better than dad, and left the room with a last ‘I hate you’.”

For a long moment, there was silence. Percy had no idea what to do or whether he should say something, but he had even less ideas as to what he could possibly say.

“We didn’t talk until the next day and then it all just led to the same argument all over again until she left. I called after her that she didn’t have to bother coming back and she said ‘Fine, then I won’t’. I thought that was going to be the worst moment in my life. I thought she would seriously leave and never come back. I wanted to run after her, hold her back, hug her and tell her I was sorry, that I didn’t want to lose her as well. But I was too proud. So instead, I went up to the West Wing, which was my favorite place – always had been – and wasted my time there, trying to distract myself from the fact that my sister might have left for good. She hadn’t gone into town to meet the girls, but to get some business done, so I still had a small hope she had just bluffed and was going to be home and everything was going to be fine somehow. As the hours passed, I got more restless, of course, and kept wondering what was going to happen if she truly didn’t come back. It was horrible. I wanted to go on the balcony and look for a sign of the carriage, but couldn’t make myself do it, so I stayed in the hallway instead and looked out of the big window. When I did see a carriage coming, I was so relieved. Really relieved. Even though I was still angry and upset, I was also just so happy she hadn’t left me and I thought that we would really be able to make up. But then…”

Nico squeezed him slightly, his hands clutching Percy’s shirt again and Percy closed his eyes as he guessed what must have happened next.

“…I saw the carriage stopping and I just…I just stood there, watching. I was confused. Then I wondered whether she might not have stopped to get out and leave, after all. And still, I just stood there uselessly, watching dark shapes appear around her as she exited the carriage. I couldn’t see very well from the distance, so at first I assumed it must have been her friends. But then I realized that they were far bigger than Bianca and her friends didn’t even know she was the future queen, so there was no way they would have stopped the royal carriage, you know? And that’s when I started thinking something must be wrong and rushed out of the castle after seeing the first stranger rushing towards her.” He explained, his voice barely audible, pain and guilt etched into every word.

Percy held him tightly, wishing he could do something to help Nico, to take his pain away.

It hadn’t been Nico’s fault, even though Percy knew his lover still blamed himself.

It had all been Kronos’ doing and he would have had his way sooner or later, Percy knew that.

“When I got to her…it was already too late. They had hurt her so badly, Percy. She was bruised and beaten and bloody and weak. I held her in my arms, heard her ragged breathing…and I just knew she was going to die. I just knew it and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I cried and called out for help, told her to stay with me. But all she did was gaze up at me with wide eyes, telling me she was scared. Scared of dying. And I held her tight even though it hurt her and I told her she wasn’t going to die, that everything was going to be fine. But she…she just looked at me and I saw her eyes just…they just…all the color just _died_ in it. They just went pale and empty and her body went limb and her breathing stopped and I cried and said I was sorry, that I loved her and that I didn’t mean a thing I had said, but she was already…she just…”

Nico was now almost crushing him, but Percy let him, wrapping his arms tightly around him as well and trying to find any words to soothe him.  
There weren’t any.

Percy had never felt so utterly useless.

Nico’s body trembled slightly and Percy could feel him sobbing.  
He pulled back slightly, much to Nico’s dismay, who immediately tried to hide.

Hide his face, hide himself, hide within himself.

Percy cupped his face, stroking away the tears streaming down his face.

“It’s ok, Nico.” He whispered quietly.

“I don’t…I…I don’t know why I’m crying. I’m sorry. You must think me…” Nico started, looking embarrassed and ashamed of himself, but Percy didn’t let him finish.

“I think you are the strongest man I have ever met.” He said determinedly, but Nico only let out a doubtful snort.

“Strong men don’t cry.”

Percy kissed his wet eyes gently, stroking over his cheeks with his thumbs. “No, weak men who act strong don’t cry, out of fear of appearing weak. Strong men cry, because they know emotions aren’t a weakness and they have to let out the pain the same way everybody else does.”

Nico bit his lip but didn’t talk back, tears still running down his face.

Percy tugged him closer, now being the one pressing Nico against his chest and holding him tight.

“It’s ok. Let it all out, Nico. I’m here for you.” He said gently and felt Nico’s arms snaking around him, his face nuzzling against his shirt, moistening the fabric.

 ***

It took a long time for Nico to speak up again, but Percy didn’t mind whatsoever.

“I always wanted to find the men who had killed her, always wanted to track them down and murder them one by one for what they had done.” He said bitterly, wiping the left-over tears away determinedly as he pulled back from Percy’s embrace.

“I had search parties look for them, even looked for them myself, but I never found even as much as a trace. I really thought they had gotten away with it…all this time, I thought they might still be out there, living an undeserved happy life while my sister had been slaughtered for no reason.”

Percy watched him as he gazed off into space, apparently lost in thought.

Then a bitter smile settled on his face. “But I guess I was wrong.”

“Do you resent Chiron for killing them?” Percy couldn’t help but ask.

Nico shook his head almost instantly. “No. I thought I would, but…no. I’ve never been much of a murderer and I have no idea whether I wouldn’t even have ended up dead myself, so there’s that. But more than that, I’m just...I’m kind of glad they didn’t get away with it. It doesn’t matter whether I got to them or he did. I just wanted them to pay for what they had done and they did, so it’s ok.”

Percy nodded quietly.

Nico looked at him oddly for a moment, then he leaned forward and gave him a peck on the lips. “I’m sorry. Too much doom and gloom, I know. I’m not the best with grudges and all that. Sorry if I’m scaring you.” He whispered uncertainly, his arms snaking around Percy once more and tugging him closer.

“I’m not scared. And I’m glad you told me all of this. Nico, I don’t blame you for wanting them dead. I would want them dead, too, if they had hurt my sister. Or you. You bet somebody hurts you they’ll have my sword down their throat.” He stated flatly, causing Nico to blink surprised before chuckling.

“That sounds painful.”

“You bet it would be.” Percy nodded seriously, leaning forward and placing another peck on Nico’s lips.

“I love you. Thank you for telling me.”

Nico smiled at him with that fond expression on his face that he only ever showed to Percy – something Percy was immensely proud of.

“I love you, too. And no, thank you, Percy, for listening.”

“As I said, I’ll always be there for you.”

Nico smiled at him gently, giving him a peck on the nose. “Good that. Now, let’s go to sleep.”

Percy grinned and snuggled closer, rubbing his face against Nico’s chest, his arms already back around Nico.

“That sounds like a great plan.”

“Of course it does, I said it, after all.”

Percy chuckled and bit Nico’s nipple through the fabric of his shirt teasingly. “Cocky, are we now?”

Nico flinched and shifted, a hand placing itself on Percy’s chin and moving his face upwards for a kiss.

“Yes.”

They grinned at each other, then began exchanging more kisses, touching each other gently and enjoying the closeness.

This was so nice.

 ***

Hours later, Nico stroked a wild strand of dark hair out of Percy’s sleeping face, gazing at him fondly.

“I love you.” He whispered into the quiet, dark room.

Percy frowned in his sleep, shifting slightly and moving closer, sighing rather contently.

“Love you too…Nico…” He mumbled in his sleep, making Nico grin like a fool and place a soft kiss on the top of his head.

Then he snuggled closer to his prince, wrapping his arms around him gently.

And for the first time in a long time, he felt truly at peace.

He had felt peaceful before, already, what with Percy around and all, but now it felt as if everything was truly ok.

As if finding out the murderers of his sister hadn’t escaped after all and had met their deserved end had allowed Nico to finally let go.  
Let go of the resentment and pain he had been feeling whenever he had thought of his sister.

It was still painful to think of her, but less so, and different.  
Maybe now, he would finally be able to focus on the good times with her whenever he thought of her, instead of remembering their last argument and his inability to help her, as well as his failure for letting her murderers escape.

And all of this was only possible because of Percy.

Because Percy had found him, had wormed his way into his heart, had saved him from himself, had broken the curse.  
Because Percy loved him, because Percy was with him, because he saw something in Nico that Nico would probably never understand, but that was ok.

He placed another kiss on the top of his head, nuzzling his face against the wavy dark hair.

He loved falling asleep with Percy so close, loved the security Percy brought with him. Loved the way Percy was Percy and how he was just perfect that very way.

Smiling to himself, he slowly drifted off into sleep, looking forward to the rest of his life with Percy.

 

The End


End file.
